Misadventures of Dating
by KittyMayhem
Summary: Dating never goes right. The first date, yes. The rest? It's up to chance. So what happens when you mix dating, a Brit, and a daredevil leader in the middle of an inter-dimensional war? We'll see after the first date. Vert/Stanford warnings inside.
1. First Lap

_Yes I totally went to that place. Don't ask me why…but I can't find a good Standford/Vert slash fandom. And while I know I shouldn't have gone there with this kiddie show…I can't quite help it, because shit if they don't make me think the wrong thing._

_Well there was ONE fic…I hope they don't mind but "Battle Ship Down" was pretty awesome._

**_Same disclaimers:_**

_I don't own them._

_This is a slash fanfiction...figure it out._

_No flames._

_And...I totally am not apologizing for what comes of this fic...and no, there will be no Mpreg in this universe...even though its soo tempting..._

_And is it me, or can you see Tezz and Agura together? I don't know...but if you happen to see unexpected couplings, cover your eyes. There's not going to be a lot of..."battling" going on...more like just how messed up dating can be in a world that's already kind of messed up._

_And yes...later on I plan to bring families into the mix of things, including Vert's DAD. :)_

_Simon might get punched..._

_The first chapter is mostly fluff.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>The Misadventures of Dating: <strong>

**First Lap:**

_Sharp Reverb _

_a.k.a. _

_The first date always goes right…_

* * *

><p>It wasn't hard to put himself to the task when it was absolutely necessary. It really didn't take much more than a few shoves and some choice words from a certain huntress. Agura could be quite convincing when she wanted to be, which was why the Cortez Brothers really liked her. After that whole incident with them being fused together for a while, breaking the tolerance of the eldest Cortez had earned her their undoubted respect. Spinner wouldn't admit it aloud ever, of course. But she tended to tell it like it was.<p>

He didn't quite adhere to her idle threats now, though, sitting here in the middle of the Diner with Zoom to one side of her and Grace on the other. Spinner and Sherman were busy stuffing themselves full of pizza, and Tezz was busy doing something on his portable laptop. He most likely was listening and trying to analyze the issue on it, but this was a little more complex than punching in a few numbers. AJ, at the counter with an ice-cream sundae that was no match for he and Sherman, smiled sympathetically his way.

The only one who wasn't here was Vert. He was most likely holed up in the Garage with Sage, trying to come up with another battle plan for their next mission.

"Stanford…you gotta tell him!" Agura snapped, though she didn't mean to be mean with it. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you don't, who knows what will happen the next time…"

"And that's easier said than done," Stanford muttered. "I'd rather be demoted a spot for the crown than to ever **tell** him that…"

Spinner stopped eating. "Dude, did he just say…"

"For sure," Zoom uttered in disbelief. "Stanford…you've got it pretty bad, don't you?"

Stanford rolled his eyes. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Sure," Tezz exclaimed. "Would you like to hear about the probable outcome of your success if you were to tell him, or would you like to hear about my molecular analysis of your body once in close proximity of our fearless leader?" He smirked, getting a round of laughter from the others and a deeper scowl from the Brit. "It's really quite interesting."

"There is nothing funny about this!"

"Sure there is. You're scared, and while that's nothing new, I find it highly interesting that such a self proclaimed charmer as yourself is scared to admit that he may have true feelings for someone with that much significance. It is the reason behind your recent holiday, correct?"

Grace snickered quietly behind her hand. "He's got you there, Stanford."

Stanford stopped scowling and settled for sitting low in his seat. "Whatever," he muttered. "He's just going to brush it off anyhow, and it'll be awkward…and I'm so NOT for awkwardness that is not beyond myself!" He howled to himself then, hands flying over his face in despair. This was not happening. "I…I can't do it!"

"Can't do what?"

Stanford risked peeking from behind his fingers and yelped. Vert was standing in front of him, clean and refreshed and grabbing the slice of pizza Stanford had in front of him before he could protest. Vert made a gesture with his hand and Grace was scooting over to allow him to squeeze in between her and Stanford with no more than a leap. One arm resting on the seat behind Stanford, he used the other to stuff his face in a matter of four huge bites that had Spinner, Sherman, and AJ in total awe.

Stanford was not impressed. He was too busy trying not to fidget in his seat. "It's nothing," he muttered.

"It can't be 'nothing', if you let me eat your pizza without biting my head off," Vert surmised. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Yes!" Agura cried before Stanford could scream an adamant desperate 'no!', "Yes you can. Um…see, Stanford has a crush on someone," she explained. "And…he doesn't know how to tell this person. We were trying to give him some advice."

"My advice would be to take this person somewhere amazing!" AJ chuckled. "Somewhere they've never been…or somewhere just as cool."

"So, you're taking me to the All You Can Eat Buffet?" Sherman wriggled his brow and got a spoonful of ice-cream for his efforts. He might have gotten more if his brother wasn't sitting next to him. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You two sooooo need to get a room," Spinner groused.

"So…basically, you don't know how to tell whoever it is that you like them, right?" Vert asked.

Stanford, surely red in the face by now, nodded and dreaded the knot in the back of his throat. "P-pretty much…yeah…"

"Not a problem. I have the perfect solution."

"Y-you do?"

"Sure! It involves some steps though. So, you wanna hang out with me tomorrow? We'll go over them as we go. Sound good?"

Stanford couldn't help but to nod. It was an automatic response, one his body had trained itself for the moment it realized that it wanted a certain team leader. He nearly slapped himself just to stop nodding so. "T-that's right nice of you," he managed to say without completely making a total arse of himself. He mentally patted himself on the back for that one. "I'd lo-like to do that…yeah."

"Cool! Provided _**nothing**_ comes up, you and I will make tracks to the city. Hit the mall, catch a movie, whatever. Might even have time to come back here for a smoothie."

"Sure!"

"Great! Oh, darn it…AJ, I totally grabbed that CD you wanted to borrow. I have it in the car. Lemme get it before I forget."

Vert was back out of his seat and running for the outside of Diner. The moment the door swung shut, Tezz, of all people, was the one to let out the catcall that was stuck in Spinner's throat. "My friend," he smirked, "If that was not him asking you out, then I am not a genius."

"He was not—"

"Bruh, he totally was, eh?" AJ winked at Stanford. "I've known him for a good bit of our lives. I've seen his technique. He always makes it sound less than what it is. Is he not the leader for a reason?"

"…he knows."

"Chyeah…he so knows," Zoom chuckled.

Stanford couldn't quite bring himself to believe it. At least, not until Vert popped back into the Diner, hopped back in his designated seat and tossed the CD to AJ as he popped his arm right around Stanford's shoulders. He didn't move it either, not even as he launched himself into an argument about the last race in the Daytona 500. At that point, Stanford didn't really care too much. Vert's arm was warm against his neck in this AC ridden Diner, and even Pop's rambling about Aliens influencing the outcome of everything couldn't keep him from smiling like a doofus.

He'd freak out about it later.

* * *

><p>Morning came much too soon for the Brit, and sleep had been a long time coming. Last night he'd been up in torn between reveling in the warmth left from Vert's arm and freaking out about today. He'd gone to his room immediately, nearly missing Vert's call of "See you in the morning, Stan!" just before he'd gotten into the hallway. He'd turned back and waved a bit, a silly smile on his face. He'd immediately turned and slapped himself on the forehead muttering, "You stupid fool!" over and over again. Why couldn't he control himself?<p>

The answer was simple really, and it dated back to that fateful day Sir Fluffsalot was lost to the battle at sea. If he thought about it, it dated further back than that…and Stanford hated admitting to himself that he was a goner from the get go. He hated admitting a lot of things to himself, because that meant thinking about things, analyzing those things, and coming to the strange conclusion that he wasn't as self confident as he made himself out to be. Truth be known, he was terrified the first time they'd gotten into their vehicles and charged into a battle zone without the slightest idea of what to do except drive. He was terrified about a lot of things…especially this "date" with Vert.

So it was only natural that he spent half the night trying to come up with something to wear, and when he couldn't quite figure that out and his brain decided it had enough of him, he plopped down in the bed and curled himself around the first thing that hit his arms. Waking up a little further, he realized that his arms were still curled around that something, and it wasn't his pillow. His pillow was still nice and flattened against his head.

He sat up, willing the sleep out of his eyes. What he saw kind of threw him for a loop.

"What in the—?" He couldn't quite finish the thought. He had to stare at it a little more before accepting it for what it was in his hands. It was a teddy-bear. Not his Sir Fluffalot, because frankly once anything was exposed to the planet Vandal, it needed to be washed ten times, fumigated, and aired out. Vandal was that funky of a place, and he was sure that some little shark-type kid was busy cuddling it underwater if it wasn't fish food. This teddy-bear sitting in his hands was a bit bigger, softer, and had to have been built at that Build-A-Bear place. It was the only reason he could give to why it was wearing a purple jacket with the number 5 on the back of it, and the name "Reverb" on the front breast pocket. It even had a little fur mo-hawk.

Normally he would have dropped back down and cuddled the furry thing in the privacy of his own deliria. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and launched himself for the doorway.

Sure enough, no sooner had he opened his door did he see Vert on the other side of it, hand raised as if to knock.

"…someone's been working on their tan."

Stanford opened his mouth to say one thing, but something completely and utterly embarrassing came flying out before he could stop it. "If you bought me this bear, I think I might love you forever," he said, realizing it way too late and unable to do much more than stand there holding his face. "I mean—Okay, I mean…Did you buy this for me?"

"More like...had it made."

"You—"

"Wait, hear me out for a second. I—"

Stanford clapped his hand over Vert's mouth. Enough was enough. There was no point in trying to say yes or no, because this teddy bear in his hands was an obvious _'yes, he really wants to take you out because no one in their right mind would go this far for anyone for anything less'_. Besides, Vert had to know. He knew **everything**. "Vert…doesn't ruin a good thing with explanations," he said quietly. "It tends to suck the fun out of spontaneous things. Kind of…like…_today_."

He felt Vert grin against his hand. His leader, for obvious and not so obvious reasons, took a step into Stanford's personal space, fingers curling around the slender wrists that were still warm with sleep. There was no use in pretending now, as Stanford's fingers fell away from those lips, catching the bottom with a slight pull that only elicited a low growl from Vert. He tugged. Stanford followed, his breath coming in short wisps as he was brought nose to nose with the one who plagued his thoughts for far too long.

"So, here's what I'm thinking," Vert said against his lips, "We still go out, hit the mall, catch this killer movie I've been dying to see, come back for a smoothie…and then we do one more thing."

Stanford didn't think mint flavored breath could be an aphrodisiac, but he was starting to think differently. "Like what?"

"Pretend you're Spinner when he finally got his hands on the last game he spent five days playing."

"Oh…I don't think I want to crash that hard," Stanford chuckled, "I kind of like being aware when I have this silly grin on my face."

"I kind of want to see it myself. So, get dressed…and meet me topside. We're taking your car, but I'm driving."

Vert could do whatever he wanted and Stanford would probably nod stupidly in agreement. It was a sad fact he had to fight most times, but this time Stanford went with the flow of things and the flow of Vert's soft kiss upon his nose. He would later berate himself for swooning like the inner girl he could be on his best day, yet for now, he was content to slip back into his room, close the door on Vert's smiling face, and squeeze the stuffing out of his new bear with a loud, "OH YEAH!" that was sure to have someone screaming at him later.

"By the way Stanford, that was step one!" Vert called. "Always plan your date ahead of time!"

Stanford was too busy jumping around his room to say anything smart.

* * *

><p>It had taken him less than a half hour to get himself ready. It was a new record in Stanford's book, and one that had the others gaping at him when he walked through the doors of the Garage looking like a human. It wasn't impossible, but the Brit had tended to make a huge fuss about his good looks. That usually resulted in his primping the mirror for about an hour, claiming that he had to get his faux-hawk just right.<p>

Stanford wasn't really caring about that now. His hair was in place, his breath doubly fresh from toothpaste and mouth wash of the strongest variety, and his clothing was pressed, neat, clean, and new. Well, the sneakers were. The usual black boots he wore took a backseat in the closet. He even put on that new cologne he'd bought to replace that awful smelling thing his brother had bought him for his birthday. Granted, he should have known better than to trust his brother with getting him anything without an ulterior motive.

His next birthday was off limits. Hell, Handler Corner was off limits to Simon.

"Uh-oh…someone's looking good," Agura teased. She was leaning against the Splitwire, arms folded over her slim waist. Tezz was sitting next to her, but his fingers weren't flying away like usual. Instead they rested behind his head with that ever present smirk on his face as he took in Stanford making his way over to Vert.

"I believe he's, how you say, dressed to the nines?"

"Not quite, but close enough. Are you channeling GQ today, Stanford?"

"Don't I always?" Stanford called back. "You can see me perfect my walk as you watch my backside."

Spinner, sitting on the edge of the Buster, looked up from his game. "Dude, you clean up nice when you aren't trying," he remarked. "Could you not try more often? You might score more numbers that way."

"Ha-ha short stuff. Remember to take your Flintstone Vitamins so you'll grow big and strong."

"I'll have you know, I already did! Sherman made sure of it," he muttered.

Stanford paused for a moment. "Say, where's your brother? And Dalton for that matter?"

Agura laughed again. "Did you not hear them yesterday? AJ took Sherman to an All You Can Eat Buffet. I'm betting they get kicked out after an hour."

"No way," Zoom exclaimed. He hopped over from where his bike was hiked up, in the midst of being repaired. "I give it a half hour, tops."

"You Blokes were serious?" Stanford couldn't quite picture those two…together…in the together sense. But then again, Stanford really couldn't picture himself with the leader of their team currently trying to wrap himself around his waist once upon a time. "Whoa!" Vert was stronger than he looked! Stanford went for the short ride via Vert's arms, spinning around to face his grin when he was planted back on the floor. "Not that it wasn't fun, but what was that for?"

"Movie starts at three, and it's twelve," Vert explained, "And while sitting here all day is appealing, so is the mall and the silence…See, that's step two. Always keep track of the time to get the maximum output of the day."

"You want to get a move on before Sage senses something."

"Got it in one."

"And who says that Stanford can't learn to read?" Tezz remarked.

Agura kicked him lightly, but didn't keep from laughing. It was funny, and that was unusual for Tezz. Hell, it was unusual for him not to be working his butt off on some algorithm. "Say, how come you're not flying off the handle about some research or something anyhow?" she asked.

"Even geniuses like myself need a moment to kick back and relax. Besides," he said, "My data is self analyzing. Once the process is complete, I'll look it over, check for flaws—none—and begin again. Until then…I'm more inclined to take in the beauty and not think."

"This is a rare moment for you."

"Yes. I'm recording it as we speak."

They were all for laughing, until the alarms started to blare. Vert almost threw his hands up, but the alarms stopped just as quickly as they started. Sage appeared in her usual manner—out of nowhere, her backside to them as she checked her console. "My apologies," she said. "There's nothing to worry about. I believe the system has picked up a storm in the distance that is similar in energies to that of a storm shock."

"So…no rushing into the wild blue yonder?" Spinner asked hopefully.

"No. You may continue with your recreations…as will I."

The blue sentient drifted past them a little ways when Zoom, curious as ever, asked, "What do blue sentients do for recreation anyhow?" to which Sage turned and replied, "We tend to meditate…or in my case, watch television. I do believe that show, '_Man vs. Food'_ is my favorite one by far. I do not understand how he can consume mass quantities of food in such a manner, but it may enlighten me to how the Cortez Brothers and AJ tend to do so, on a daily basis."

Spinner all but dropped his game. "Did she just make a joke at my expense?"

"Dude, you are a living joke," Zoom smirked, "As well as a living garbage disposal."

The bickering was on. Vert took that as his cue to leave. He hopped into the driver's side of the Reverb, keys in hand already. Stanford, slipping into the rarely used passenger seat, stared at him. "What? I have keys to everyone's car," Vert laughed. "It's one of the perks of being in charge…but I promise I won't ever drive your baby…unless I really need to."

Stanford strapped himself in and settled back. "Just…don't touch my radio when you do."

"I totally get that."

"No, I mean it. I have to fine tune it to allow for the maximum sound output when I'm using it at a weapon. It takes about an hour…so I usually have a pre-recorded mix blaring and not the radio. Did you know I could pick up military relays oddly enough?"

"You get those too?"

"You mean I'm not the only one? Bugger…so, did Calhoun ask the bloke out or not?"

Vert stifled a laugh and put the reverb in gear. "I don't know…but I'm sure we can find out."

* * *

><p>While Handlers Corner was indeed a little town out in the middle of nowhere, it did reside outside of a city about fifty miles out. It was a little stop in between spaces, and the perfect cover for their little base of operations. Still, that didn't mean that they couldn't or didn't want some civilization, as much as Pops warranted that two people was enough civilization for anyone.<p>

Getting here in the Reverb took little to no time at all. Vert was truly skilled at handling just about any car under the sun. While he didn't try to figure out the complete logistics of the Reverb and just how to get it to bounce fifty feet in the air on sound alone, Stanford was impressed that he figured out the sound system and used it effectively to blast their ears out to the sounds of Linkin Park.

Parking was fun…and so was pissing off an irate older man in a corvette with a young woman about twenty years his junior when they skid into the spot.

"Oh, no way!" Vert laughed. "Really?"

Stanford stuck another fry in his mouth with a smug look. "You ever want to see it up close, get him close to the water," he said. "And then start talking about food. I've never thought ick would be interesting, but sometimes I wonder just what those animals eat…"

Vert made a face, but ate another fry anyhow. "You don't want to know."

They were sitting at the food court. Hunger had gotten the better of them after about an hour and a half of running back and forth between stores for the hell of it. It was what the youth of today did, and frankly it was a bit fun to wander in, look at stuff you'd never be caught dead wearing, and watching someone else pick it up. It made for quite a few smothered laughs, ones that had Stanford and Vert darting out of two stores before someone could hit them.

They had purchased a few things, their purchases sitting on the floor aside them as they talked about nothing and everything. A lot of it had to do with their misadventures, including the one trip to Vandal that Stanford didn't quite know about. "I really don't know how I didn't see it," he said absently. "I suppose I just wanted to go to the beach that badly…"

"Hmm…we should go one of these days," Vert remarked.

"Yeah? And where are you going to find a beach around here?"

"Who said anything about going to a beach on earth?"

Stanford could have kissed him then and there if he didn't think it'd turn into some X-rated thing that had mothers screaming at their kids to cover their eyes. He smiled like mad instead, picturing it. "Don't promise something you can't deliver," he teased. "And don't pick up the wrong key."

"Oh, I'll deliver…if you promise to wear that item you thought I didn't see you buy."

The Brit slid that bag a little further towards himself with his foot. "We'll see." Was it suddenly hot in here, or was it just him? "So…what's the movie about anyhow? Comedy? Chick Flick? Those are kind of funny…"

"Horror Flick."

"…you're not serious…" Vert wasn't smiling…much. "You are. Oh my god, Vert!"

"Relax! It's not that scary…at least it shouldn't be."

"What do you mean? You know me and scary movies just don't go together…ever!"

"Yeah…I was kind of hoping you'd give me an excuse for your head to be on my shoulder."

The redhead Brit stared at him, a fry halfway in his mouth as Vert unapologetically sat back sipping his soda. If he didn't know better, he would swear Vert had planned this out a while ago. It was the only way he would get Stanford out of the Garage under the pretense of "hanging out" while slipping that flick in there. Since they weren't trying to pretend that this was "hanging out", Stanford wasn't going to pretend that he was going to sit here across from Vert and let him get away with this.

Vert, ever the coolheaded one, was a little slack in the jaw when Stanford calmly moved himself from the seat across from him to the one aside him. One moment he was sitting, the next he was leaning against Vert, calmly eating what was left of his fries. "You don't have to take me to a movie to get me to do this," Stanford said. "I'd do it anyway…even if you weren't taking me out to dinner next week because that's how long it'll take for the nightmares to abate."

"So…I'm taking you out for food next week?"

"You are? I'm all for it."

"I see…and you're still coming with me to the movie, right?"

"It's only fair. By the way, I don't like mustard on my burger."

Vert made a mental note of that as he leaned back and let Stanford rest against his shoulder. "Tell you what," he said, startling Stanford out of whatever he was thinking, "If you'll go with me to another movie I kind of want to see…and the killer flick sometime next week, I'll buy you Za at your request for an entire month."

Had the man lost his mind? "Seriously?"

"I give you my word. Step three, Stanford…bribing isn't bribing if you both win. Compromise is key…and useful later on."

He didn't need convincing. He was going to go with Vert anyhow because the thought of burying his face in Vert's shirt was highly appealing. Stanford stuffed the rest of his fries in his mouth with a muffled, "Let's go!" pulling himself and Vert up. They grabbed their belongings, opting to carry them rather than go back out to the car, and Vert was laughing as Stanford grabbed his hand and darted for the indoor Movie Theater on the lower section of the mall.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A couple of hours later:<strong>_

"I can't believe you dragged me to that!" Stanford cried. "Of all the movies you could drag me to, that was one of the worst ones you could have picked! I almost wet my pants from laughing so hard!"

Vert wiped his eyes of the tears still pricking in the sides of them, trying to concentrate on the road. "I know," he half chuckled, half gasped. "I didn't think Grace was telling the whole truth!"

"I have half a mind to buy her something nice…maybe a smoothie?"

"Text her and tell her we're swinging by the Diner…and that she was right…again."

Stanford flipped out his phone and quickly started texting Grace. They'd left the theater and the mall moments ago, strained smiles on their faces as they rushed to get to the parking lot. No sooner had they dropped their belongings in the back and hopped into the front, they looked at one another and promptly lost it. Vert laughed hard enough to make him cry for a good five minutes, and Stanford nearly stopped breathing as he hunched over and gave in. They couldn't get a handle on themselves. It was just too much.

The Movie that Vert had wanted to see originally had only come out a couple of days ago. It was some type of movie involving mass murder, suspense, and one chick that was too hot looking for the lead, which was a perfect combination for a nightmare fest. The "other" movie—the back up—was a movie Grace had told him about in passing. "_Bridesmaids_" was considered a chick flick in all essences of the term, but Grace had convinced him that it was worth watching. At first, Stanford wasn't sold. Vert had reasoned that some chick flicks were pretty funny, and _Baby Mama_ was not the epitome of chick flicks gone horribly bad. The Brit still wasn't sold, but then Vert had promised to take him to a movie of his choice if it sucked…or buy him a CD. Stanford had given in then. They had purchased their tickets, split the snacks (because they were expensive), and popped into a theater scattered with people here and there. They took their seats near the middle and sat though the previews.

'_Bridesmaids' _was nothing like it seemed to be. Stanford was sold right after the lead girl, Annie, had been dismissed from her lover's bed and forced to climb over a gate that opened the moment she was on it. He'd thought to himself, it's got to get worse…and it did. It went way down hill for that chick, and while he felt sorry for her, he couldn't keep a straight face. Vert was giggling from the get go…and when they got to the scene with everyone getting food poisoning, they were both red in the face and clinging to each other from laughing so.

"Vert…"

"Yes?"

"She crapped in her pants!" Stanford cried in hysterics again. "I can't believe…she did that!"

"That's why you don't eat food from strange places," Vert laughed. "Oh jeez…"

"Does that include the Diner?"

"Nah, we're immune to that stuff by now."

Stanford's phone blipped. He opened the message from Grace and snickered. "She said '_I told you so._'"

"Really? Let me see?"

Stanford was about to hand him the phone. Vert slipped the slim device from his fingers and threw it in the backseat, curling his fingers swiftly around the Brit's unsuspecting ones. He twined their fingers and let them rest on the divider between them, turning a corner smoothly that would take them straight to the Diner. "I've wanted to do that all day," Vert said quietly. "Hope you don't mind."

He didn't mind. He really didn't mind. He couldn't quite bring himself to say so either, but it was all right. The slight tug of his lips under his red cheeks told Vert all he needed to know, and he kept holding the Brit's hand as if it would slip from his any second. It wouldn't, but it was nice to feel the kiss of their palms resting together, as if their hands had been made for the other. Stanford was all for letting this moment last, but he saw the Diner coming up quicker than he would have liked.

Vert pulled into one of their usual spots, parked, and turned off the ignition. Neither man moved to get out.

"So…did you have fun today?" Vert asked him softly.

Lots. "Loads," he said just as softly. He tightened his fingers. "I just…wish it didn't have to end."

Vert couldn't say anything to that. "…you want to hear step four?" he asked instead, shifting a bit to face Stanford. "After all, I'm supposed to be teaching you the steps to get your crush."

Stanford rolled his eyes a bit, but smiled anyhow. "Sure. What, pray tell, is step four?"

"After you're sure that your date has fun…you do what comes natural."

"….and that would be?"

"This."

Vert leaned forward. It could have happened in slow motion, or not, it felt like forever came and went with the rush of air leaving Stanford's lungs as soft, warm, inviting lips pressed themselves to his. It was so soft at first, barely a taste what was there, nipping and urging him to press back, nose exhaling what was left in him to inhale the scent of clean linen, the spice laced aftershave Vert wore on occasion, and something fiery. He tasted of popcorn and some soft drink that was fruity, and mint. It reminded Stanford of this morning, pressed against his leader in nothing more than his pajama bottoms, his new bear in hand, heart in his throat and warm all over just from being in his presence. He hadn't wanted it to end there...all the more reason to slip his fingers into Vert's tangible head of blonde and kiss him until they were both dizzy.

He didn't know how long they stayed like that. All Stanford could really recall was feeling quite lightheaded, and annoyed as their communicators came blaring to life in the midst of them trying to map the other's mouth. If that wasn't bad enough, the light giggling coming from the outside of his car brought him back down from cloud nine. Grace was standing outside of it, a light blush on her smiling cheeks, and two smoothies in her hand waiting for them.

Stanford moved back over to the passenger side and let Vert recline the seat back up as he lowered the window. "Um…thanks…"

"I figured you two were either out here talking…or something else." She winked at them and handed Stanford the smoothies. "On the house…because you two gave us a nice show."

"Us? As in…"

"Yep. Pop came out here, but I think he got more than an eyeful…he walked back into the Diner talking about kids getting stranger than ever, but he was smiling…so I think he'll be all right."

Zeke was a character on his own. Something like this wouldn't blip on his radar. Still, it felt like his father had walked in on them necking, which made Stanford blush even more. "Right. Um, love to stay and chat but we've got something to…do…back at the Garage. Thanks for the smoothies, luv."

Stanford handed Vert his as he put the Reverb back in gear. Soon enough they were peeling off into the afternoon, headed back for the garage to suit up, hit another battle zone, and claim a key. Another day in the life of an inter-dimensional superhero.

"So is there a step five?" Stanford remarked. "Step four was nice…really nice. I'd like to repeat that sometime."

Vert gave him a sideways grin. "Sure. Step five…is to repeat steps one through four…until you're ready for step six. Step seven is a little ways off…but I think it'll be worth it when we come to it."

"When? No if?"

"I don't do ifs. My decisions are black in white in that respect…and when I mean something, I mean it. When Stanford…not an 'if'. _When_."

Stanford Issac Rhodes IV was by no means a confidant teen turning into man. He tended to panic, whine, gloat, boast about the mundane of things, and was far less secure about his skills that he let on. He had a brother who pushed him to be more of the annoying Stanford people had a love/hate relationship with, and he slept with a teddy bear to sleep at night. But as the Brit felt Vert's hand slip back into his own (thank you sage for Cup holders), he felt confident that Vert's words would come true. There was a when…and he couldn't wait.

"Stanford."

"Hm?"

"If we happen to land near some water…and you know who shows up…I want to see upchuck kibble."

The only sound Vert heard until they reached the garage was Stanford's unstoppable laughter.

* * *

><p><span>Coming soon:<span>

**Second Lap:**

_Drift, Reverse, Brake, Shoot Forward_

_a.k.a._

_The second date is always a disaster._

Shoot me later. I just couldn't stay away from this fandom. XD_  
><em>


	2. Second Lap

Greetings everyone!

As you all know, this is my first time diving into this fandom. I will TRY to keep them in character as much as possible, but you have to remember...teens can and are some of the most messed up creatures ever. Not saying that I'm going places that should never be, but seriously...teens are the joke of the cosmos.

I used to be one.

Again, this is a slash fic. Yaoi for the anime fans. Most of what happens here happens inbetween the Episodes 3 to the very last one of season 2 that just aired today.

*fangirl squeal* OMG so awesome!

Anywho, getting onto the pairings-which I will NOT apologize for:

**_Vert/Stanford_** -main pairing. Most of it is about them. (only because I can't find much of this pairing anywhere. epic fail.)

_**A.J./Sherman**_ -just...shut up. It happened.( There is a story here...i just haven't written it. I will though. Count on it.)

_**Agura/Tezz**_ - this one was a thought until it was firmly planted in my head after reading a certain fic by a certain writer who knows who she is, cause she was screaming about how much she loved me when I mentioned it. So...**Invaderluver**...that couple is all for you. ;) More about them coming soon.

without much more to say other than reviews will make me post this faster, enjoy!

Oh wait, warning! A bit of a sad chapter...and an explanation of WHY Stanford does not LIKE Vandal.

At least, this is my take on why we don't see him there in later episodes if he could help it.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Second Lap:<span>**

_Drift, Reverse, Brake, Shoot Forward_

_a.k.a._

_The second date is always a disaster._

* * *

><p>"I've told you how much I hate…the planet Vandal, right?"<p>

Everyone rolled their eyes, more than accustomed to hearing the rant of one Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV. He didn't care though, hoping out of his car and resisting the usual urge to scratch his skin raw. It never failed. Every time they went to that planet, he always managed to come back with a rash, or worse. He didn't know if the place didn't like him, or if he was just plain allergic to those Vandals. If he was, it was a bonus in his corner and another reason to kick Kalus' furry butt straight across the track.

Still, they couldn't keep their laughter abated. Vert was the first one to crack, thinking back to the last few moments of their mission. While he didn't get to see Kalus upchuck, he did get to See Grimian get the beat down of a lifetime. It wasn't often that they could watch their enemies turn on one another. When it happened, it was entertainment in dire need of popcorn and a drink.

"Well, we know that Kalus doesn't really trust that ape as much," he remarked a moment later. "Still…that's one less thing we have to worry about. Good job everyone."

"Great. If we're done here, I have to go soak myself in anti-itch cream," Stanford remarked. "If you need me, I'll be in my room, hoping that planet explodes."

"Come on Stanford, you don't mean that."

"Oh, don't I? Maybe I'll stop wishing it after I stop scratching myself raw."

Vert shook his head at the fleeing backside of his companion. He deliberately didn't follow, knowing full well that the master of sound was in a snit. Well, that and they'd had to cut their date short. Stanford wasn't the only one feeling the sting of recreation time being so scarce. Vert felt it as well, keenly, and it only made it harder not to follow the Brit and pick up where they had left off…before they were called to battle.

It had been a week since their first date and things had been slow today. Vert had suggested that they go out tonight since it was very rare for a Storm Shock to open after a certain hour. Stanford was all for it, neatly leaping onto the Blonde's waistline and kissing him senseless in the privacy of the upstairs garage. They'd fallen on the couch…and it took them a couple of moments to reclaim their senses enough to get going.

_What can I say? I'm a fan of his lips,_ Vert thought smugly.

They hadn't even made it to the car when the alarms were blaring. Stanford was not amused, and he'd made that clear to the enemy once they'd gotten to the Planet Vandal. Of all places to be, that was the one place he had not wanted to go tonight. They had picked up a trace of Blue Sentient tech, not unlike the data-logs they'd found in that Mobi underwater a couple of weeks back. It turned out to be Hatch messing with something he'd found and claimed to be black magic. There was no saving it after he'd messed with it, which meant that they had wasted their time. He'd never seen Stanford take out that many Vandals…ever.

So much for the second date.

"Vert, do you want me to analyze what we've discovered on Planet Vandal?" Tezz asked. "Or would you rather wait?"

But there were things to take care of, and data being one of them. "Analyze what you have and debrief me as soon as you're done," he instructed. "Until then, everyone else go rest your nerves, fix your rides, or eat. We'll call it a night as soon as we get everything settled."

Sherman and A.J. balked a little at the thought of eating, though it was no one's fault but their own. Spinner grinned at the two of them, already through his third slice of pizza he'd picked up the moment they got back. It was a little cold, but he was hungry and nothing really deterred him from food in any form. Sherman turned his head from his elder brother and the noises he was making. It was borderline obscene.

"It would be so wrong of me, to make a joke about that, eh?" A.J. said.

"Wrong of you, yes, but not me," Zoom said. "Had I known Spinner had an oral fixation—"

"Ah! Zoom, not right now," Vert warned. "Take that joke and clamp down on it until I can't hear it."

"Aww…ruin all the fun."

"It is true, though," Tezz mused.

"What are you all talking about?" Spinner asked.

"Nothing!" Vert exclaimed. "Just…eat your pizza somewhere else. I'm going to go check on Stanford…I might have to run down some anti-itch cream for the rest of us if he's used it all…"

He slipped away before anyone could ask him anything else. Sage, in the midst of her data entry, looked up to see him disappear into a nearby hallway leading back to their rooms. "It might be an error, but I do believe that Vert is emitting waves of frustration that I've never seen before. Did something happen on Planet Vandal?"

"Besides nearly getting captured, again? No," Tezz exclaimed, "Not that I am aware of."

"Well, he might be upset that their little date got cut short," Agura said. "I know I would be…"

Tezz looked up at her curiously. "Are you saying that if you were to be summoned to fight in the middle of…a date…you would be highly upset?"

"Well, think about it," she reasoned. She slipped out of her vehicle and walked over to Tezz, one hand on her hip and the other waving about as she talked. "I mean, I know it's been a while since you've had real fun, but let's put it this way…if you were knee deep in the depths of discovering something amazing and were this close to getting it, only to be pulled into a fight that was not necessary because idiots don't know how to keep themselves out of trouble…would you not be upset?"

Tezz blinked, rubbed his chin, and nodded. "When you put it that way, I would indeed be upset. I apologize…I'm still getting used to being around…more than myself."

"No need." Agura smiled his way, patting his shoulder in passing. "You ever want to do more than look in that datapad of yours, just look me up. I'll teach you how to have fun."

She walked off, and Tezz felt the unfamiliar burn of his cheeks as his eyes drifted a little lower than they meant to. He'd never noticed just how supple her body was in that suit…or just how her hips swayed in time to her walk; perfect step to swing ratio without it being overexerted. "Noted…" he muttered softly. "Highly noted…" He swallowed and cursed softly under his breath. Yeah…it's been a while.

Sage, growing more accustomed to the daily workings of humans, let out a soft giggle as Sherman stood beside her. "I believe I've just witness the release of pheromones, as you've once called it," she said. "It is highly amusing."

Sherman shook his head, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Yeah…it only gets worse."

* * *

><p>It was always excruciating to peel off the suit after coming in contact with that planet. Nobody ever knew how much so, because Stanford never advertised that bit of it. Sure he constantly screamed that he hated that planet. He was hoping that someone would get a clue and would not invite him to go. He would have jumped on that bandwagon and stayed here willingly, working on his music or on his car. That was certainly more fun than what he was about to do…and what would happen before the night was through.<p>

He checked the drawer by his bed. The Epi-Pen was in there with several others, all modified by Sage during a routine exam. Coming into contact with Vandal always set his allergies off, and when he got bit by anything on the planet, the end result was disastrous. Still, he didn't want to be kicked off the team because of a minor setback and had begged Sage not to tell anyone about this. She didn't like it, but she had agreed, knowing better than most about his way of doing things.

He pulled one out and set it on top of the nightstand. He hated the thought of using it. For the moment, he grits his teeth and started the painful process of peeling himself out of that suit, wincing as he saw the red marks. The need to scratch was overwhelming, but not so much as getting this infernal thing off!

"Stanford…are you—Stanford?"

The redhead whirled around, one hand still caught in his suit with his leg in the process of being peeled. It only served to send him flying backwards, screaming in pain when he hit the bedding. It was expensive bedding and well threaded sheets, but even that couldn't keep the flair of pain from washing down his body just from being touched. He jerked his hand up and went for the first blister he could see.

Swift hands kept him from it. "Vert! I need to—"

"You can't scratch," Vert instructed, "And you know it…but damn it, why didn't you say something about it being **this** bad?"

"Because it wasn't an issue!"

"The hell it wasn't! Now shut up for a minute…I'm going to help you out of this…"

Stanford, already blinded by the pain, couldn't keep the nervous bubble of laughter coming from his throat. "Oh, this is not how I pictured step seven would go…" He hissed, his other arm free in seconds, and a quick tug at his waist brought down his underwear as well as the rest of his suit. He was in too much pain to worry about his modesty, rolling over to keep the scream he wanted to let out in the back of his throat. Instead he gripped the sheets, bit the bed, and would not move until everything had stopped throbbing.

"Stanford…don't move…all right?"

Not moving was not a problem. He didn't even reply. The lightheadedness was coming on fast…

"One…two…three!"

The sharp stabbing pain in his thigh had the Brit yelping and rolling over to cover the coughing sob bubbling out of his chest. There was nothing worse than getting that damned pen in his thigh, and he hated it more than he hated going to the Planet Vandal. Yet the lightheadedness was fading, and he didn't have to scratch as much. He wiped his face, blearily looking up at the bright lights of the ceiling to see Vert in the middle of them, concern all over his features as he tossed that pen to the side.

"Babe…Come on now, are you all right?"

Stanford swallowed, opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't get beyond that. He nodded instead, still wiping his face as his body shook from the aftermath of the medicine making its way through his body. He expected Vert to say something along the lines of, "Are you sure?" or "Are you out of your mind!", but he was again shocked to feel himself being repositioned into a more comfortable position on the bed. His head lolled onto the pillow waiting for him. He could safely say that he hated the after effects just as much.

"That's it now…just rest…"

"…no choice…" he muttered tiredly. "…can't…stay up…"

"It's fine babe…you're all right. That's all that matters."

Stanford closed his eyes. He faintly felt something warm placed in his arms and something cool upon his back where the worst of the itching resided. Relief flooded his senses and he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Vert kept to the task of coating every last blister and sore with the cream he'd spotted sitting in the middle of the open drawer of the nightstand. Stanford didn't move, other than to mumble incoherently. He was warm to the touch, a sure sign that his body was fighting to keep up with the changes of being inflamed and cured. He was going to have a wicked fever, of that there was no doubt.

He didn't stop until he'd gotten everything he could cover, wiping his hands on his suit to get rid of the excess cream. Stanford was long gone by then, snoring into his pillow, arms stuffed full of his bear Reverb II, and red in his cheeks. Vert gently tugged the sheets over them, and quickly ran to get a cool cloth and Sage.

This was not how this date was supposed to go.

* * *

><p>"He's been stung, but this is not one of the normal bites of the indigenous insects of the Planet Vandal," Sage said. "I believe he's been bitten by one of the more vicious, but smaller species. Their venom is highly toxic."<p>

"He probably didn't even know," Sherman mused. "Stanford always is getting bit…"

"And we always ignore it since it's so common," Vert muttered in disgust. "I can't believe I didn't see it…"

Vert had run to get Sage and wound up bringing back everyone. Sage and he had run off, rushing through the corridors with the others calling out to them to tell them what the matter was. Vert was beyond his normal procedures. Instinct was telling him to hurry up and get Sage there before something else could happen. He and she burst through the doors, Stanford still lying in the same position on the bed. He was sweating though, badly, and breathing a little harder. Vert felt useless as Sage pushed past him, examining him quickly to discover the source of his issues.

There was an unremarkable bite on his shoulder that had swollen into a large red welt standing out against his pale skin. She immediately injected him with something else, muttering under her breath about insects and their miserable existence. Stanford had stopped shivering by then, relaxing back into the boneless sleep he'd been in before, unaware of the others crowding into his room in shock and worry. Sherman and Tezz were immediately on the job, trying to figure out how this came about and how to prevent it from happening again.

"I believe I know the cause of why Stanford is always bitten so," Tezz said. He came over to them with his datapad in hand, fingers flying a little faster than normal. "After analyzing the data of Stanford's DNA and the aggressive way he's been targeted by a particular species of mosquito, I've concluded that there is something in his scent that attracts them, and his blood is the prize. I'm already working on a counter measure…it might take a couple of days."

"Thanks Tezz…but I think I might just sit him out of those particular trips from this point on…" Vert said softly. "I don't want him exposing himself to anything like this if it means…him getting sick."

"It would be the wise thing to do, yes, but that will not stop him from coming if he is needed."

"True enough. Keep working on it…"

"In the meantime, I believe the Pen has helped remove a good bit of the venom left when he was bitten," Sage said. "I designed it to counter the allergic reaction, as well as alleviate and cure any poison he should come in contact with. I never told him how dangerous getting bitten was, because I believed that your composition as humans would repel the insects. I can see that I was wrong…and I apologize for not telling you about it, Vert."

Vert waved her apology off. "It's all right Sage. I would have found out about it anyhow…but thankfully it was here at the Hub and not out there in the battlefield."

"While this is true, in his defense…he did not want you to think he was any weaker because he couldn't handle that environment. I believe he had said that it was bad enough that he was Lactose Intolerant, but having allergies exacerbated because the air didn't agree with him was just as bad as being put in a bubble. I do not know what he meant by the bubble part," she mused, "but I think I understand most of what he said."

Vert understood it. He understood it too well. He patted Sage's shoulder and made himself comfortable by Stanford's bed. Agura was sitting at the edge of it, worry written all over her face for the redhead slumbering without a care in the world. She and Stanford argued most of the time about anything and everything, but it was the way they were. She wouldn't have changed it for anything. Seeing him like this broke something in her, and she couldn't quite help the overwhelming urge to cry bubbling up before she could stop it.

She turned into the first chest she landed on, and cried silently. Tezz shushed her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and forgetting the awkwardness he was known for when it came to dealing with other people. He'd seen things like this before, but it was much different when it was someone close to you.

Zoom and Spinner were quiet for once, sitting against the bed on the other side. Spinner folded his arms and turned off his game. Zoom simply tuned the world out and tried to focus on helping Stanford get better. While there was nothing physically he could do, spiritual was always an option.

A.J. knowing his friend rather well, sat down at his feet. He kept his shoulder on Vert's leg and didn't move. It was something they always did for one another, and would always do as long as they lived. It was their way of saying that they were there if needed. Vert could only give him a small worried smile before his attention was back on Stanford and his slumbering form.

"I thought this kind of crap happens like…in the **middle** of the relationship," Spinner muttered, "Not at the beginning."

"Yeah well…leave it to Stanford to make things interesting," Vert laughed weakly.

Interesting wasn't the half of it. As he sat there, watching, he wondered just what else didn't he know about the Brit? How many times had he done this? And did he really think that keeping his weaknesses to himself would solve anything?

They were going to have a nice long talk about this, but right now he would have preferred to hear Stanford's bitching about Vandal than to see just why he did it.

* * *

><p>His leg <strong>hurt<strong>.

His leg hurt to the high heavens and he wanted nothing more than to howl.

Howling would do no good, so he kept it to himself and willed his leg to stretch itself out. It was a long excruciating five minutes. Once it was out however, the blood rushed down and all he felt were pins and needles with the dull throb of where that damn pen had been shoved into his thigh. He moaned in protest to the phantom pain of that moment, rolling over to hold his bear a little closer to him. Going back to sleep would have been great.

He might have, if he didn't hear someone else stop snoring.

Years of being in the presence of someone evil like his brother and living for a few months with the Cortez brothers had taught him that sleeping deeply was not a good thing. He was already a light sleeper by nature. It allowed him to recognize when something was wrong, or when something was not right in the land of his sanctuary, his room. For starters, it was remarkably warm. He usually had the AC going in the middle of the night to keep from drenching the sheets with his night sweats. He wasn't sweating, a plus, but he was warmer than he was used to being.

A lot of it had to do with the extra sheet he found lying on his body. The rest of it, he found after turning over, was from a very awake, very worried, obviously relieved, and a tad angry Vert Wheeler sitting up in his bed.

_Wait…_

"….Vert? Wha—"

"Shush," Vert said. His voice was thick with sleep, but firm with the fingers that pressed themselves to Stanford's lips. His hair was in disarray, his eyes puffy, and he looked like he needed several cups of coffee to function at half mast. That didn't stop him from leaning down and kissing the life out of Stanford, somewhat dazed as Vert took Reverb II's place in his arms, effectively shutting him up.

Lips parting with a soft wet pop, Stanford looked up into endless blue eyes. "Please tell me that last night did not happen," he muttered, "That I am blotch free…and you're only here because we leapt to step seven."

"As much as that would be a pleasant alternative," Vert said with a soft smile, "That's not what happened. And we, meaning you…and I…have to talk about this…whether we like it or not."

Stanford covered his face. He could feel the tears coming and didn't want them to spill anymore than they had last night. It was silly, and downright girly of him to be crying this much, but he couldn't quite help it. It was the lone reason he was teased so mercilessly by his family…and why he never let himself cry in front of anyone if he could help it.

Vert waited a beat. He gently pried those hands from that sniffling face. He was finding out quickly that Stanford was quite easily vulnerable to his emotions, bad and good. This wasn't a bad thing. It was only an issue they had to address for the sake of his safety and for the team. It had nothing to do with them as they were, and he said so, hugging Stanford a little tighter when the crying didn't stop.

"It's not you, or that we have to talk…" Stanford muttered miserably, "I'm a-always like this for about an hour after I g-get…one of those…damned th-things in my leg!" He hiccupped and breathed harshly just to undo another sob from the coil of them sitting heavy in his chest. "It h-hurts…s-so **bad**…and I hate taking them!"

"…is that why…you never get up right away after a mission to Vandal?"

He couldn't find it in him to lie, or make some smart remark sitting on the tip of his tongue like usual. His brain would not allow it. It was too focused in the throbbing in his leg and the numb sensation of his shoulder joining in on the strange feeling parade marching down his nerves. He gave the smallest of nods, and Vert was wrapped around him, apologizing…saying something…Stanford couldn't tell after a while. The ringing in his ears tended to keep him from his own thoughts as well as hearing others for a moment or two.

He hated this…and he hated more than anything that Vert saw him like this so soon. It was the equivalent to laying out the cards of your life to a potential mate way too soon and watching them flee in horror.

Well, Vert wasn't quite fleeing…but was still rather embarrassing to be in such a state.

Eventually, much to Stanford's loud and Vert's quiet relief, Stanford's body regulated itself. He sat the Brit up and eased him out of the bed when he was ready, helping him along to make their way towards the bathroom. He'd talk to Stanford about it all later…when they weren't trying to figure out how not to be embarrassed by remembering that Stanford was naked.

"That would have been nice to know," Stanford muttered under very red cheeks.

Vert resisted the right to slap his bare ass and shoved him into the bathroom. "Come on…we're going to breakfast," he said. "After…we find you some boxers."

* * *

><p>"Food allergies?"<p>

Stanford nodded, shifting his breakfast potatoes around on his plate. "Yeah. I get them pretty bad," he admitted. "I try to watch what I eat, basically seafood. I know I'm lactose intolerant but it's not so bad that I can't eat some dairy without cramping up." He shoved his plate away, opting to grab the Orange Juice sitting half gone on his left. "Pops does make a dairy friendly pizza, which Grace slips to me when we're all here eating."

They were at Pop's Diner. Vert had driven them there in the Reverb, since Stanford's car was one of the first to be repaired last night. His Saber still needed the axle replaced, and he didn't much feel like having Stanford sitting behind him uncomfortably. The Saber was really designed for one person, but in this case he wished it had room for two.

They'd driven to the diner in silence. Vert could see that Stanford was fighting off the urge to doze, still tired from his ordeal last night. He was going to make something for them at the garage but thought better of it when he remembered that the others were still around. He needed to talk to Stanford without the others coming in unexpectedly, for his own reasons as well as the issue of them as a team. It wouldn't do to have people present for some of the things he wanted to talk about, things he would not get a straight answer for if Stanford felt uncomfortable. If there was anything that he realized about the Brit in his time knowing him, it was that Stanford didn't do well when someone pressed him in a crowd. He'd scoff about it and laugh it off, but he'd never tell the truth.

After getting them there and in, they ordered breakfast. He noticed that Stanford was careful not to order anything with Dairy in it. It only made him wonder, which broke the silence and launched them into the safe topic of food allergies. Vert would have never known about it. He wondered why Stanford didn't tell him about it.

Vert chewed thoughtfully on his pancakes. "That stuff tastes like the real deal," he admitted. "All this time…I think you owe me a real slice."

"And have you never admitted that the Great Vert Wheeler had something less than real pizza? Oh no…we can't have that. You're going to have to stomach it."

Vert laughed a little. "So, all kidding aside…Hatch is—"

"One big flipping allergy. Yep. Don't get me wrong," Stanford said, "I love animals. I have a few back in England. But something about those…Vandals…it makes me itch…and then being targeted by flying monster bugs is not watch I call a good time. I always get a rash…but it was never bad like it was last night…"

Vert had told him about last night. Stanford was shocked to say the least, but more ashamed that he hadn't realized something was wrong. Had it not been for Sage, they were sure that he would have been in a hospital room having this conversation. Vert swallowed at that thought, reaching out to grab Stanford's hand before he thought about it. "That's because something new bit you…and its venom was highly toxic…" he explained softly. Vert hated to think if it was something worse than that. It was a possibility he'd have to contemplate for future battles. "Stanford, you should have said something. If we weren't at the Hub when this happened…"

"I know…it was stupid, and I'm sorry…but can you blame me? I'm like…one of the weakest links on this te—"

"No you're not! Stanford, you have as much to offer to this team as anyone else does. Everyone has their issues, including me."

"Oh? Like what? Invulnerability?"

Vert shook his head and gave him a dry twist of his lips. "How about being a diabetic?"

Stanford sat up a little straighter. Vert didn't laugh or give away that he was joking, or turn his eyes away to think of something else to accompany that little unknown truth. He rarely lied about anything, and something like that wasn't something you could lie about without some serious consequences. "Y-you…you're a diabetic?"

"My mom was. Good chance I might get it someday. It didn't stop her, and it won't stop me if it does happen. As for the others, Spinner has more phobias than should be allotted," Vert admitted. "Sherman is really self conscious about his size. Agura? She had leukemia as a child. Tezz? Well…besides being anti-social by habit not by choice, he has a fear of people…and don't tell him I told you that because he'd fry me, literally."

"My Lips are sealed."

"A.J. has mild ADHD. Zoom? The brat is healthy as a horse…but he's broken more things on his body than I can count. And me? Well, you'll be surprised to know that I am not invulnerable…but I do have a rod in my arm and I've broken my right knee….twice. That bad boy has screws in it. Imagine when it rains…"

Vert broke his knee…twice? There was a definite story about that, one that had to involve A.J. at some point. Stanford continued to stare at Vert, at a loss for a moment. He didn't know that about everyone. How could he? They never really discussed the woes of their lives here in the Diner or anywhere else for that matter. They were always talking about something else, doing something else—that real life almost seemed to take a backseat to the short times they did have to unwind. It was comforting to know that he wasn't alone in his worries, but a little disconcerting realizing that as much time as he spent with the others, he didn't really know them but so much.

He didn't even really know Vert that well, and Vert couldn't know him.

"Hey, we have time to get to know one another," Vert said. "We know the general stuff; what annoys us, what we like…how we act when it comes to teamwork. Right now what matters is being there for one another, and I want to be there for you Stanford…but you can't keep stuff like this to yourself, understand?"

Stanford nodded by way of apology. He felt Vert squeeze his hand and he knew all was forgiven. He thought about telling Vert something else, but decided against it. They had time…and personally he'd had enough for one day.

"The good news is that the Pen you had Sage design for you negated some of it. Smart thinking, Stanford."

Stanford would have beamed if he didn't hear the rest of it coming before it did. "And the bad news?"

"Well…the bad news is that you're not going to Vandal until Tezz and Sage come up with a way to keep you from getting bitten." He raised his free hand to stop the redhead before the protesting could begin. Instead, Vert shifted closer, tugging Stanford until he was flush against his side in their usual booth, unaware of anything else except one another. "For not telling me about this…You're on Surveillance for every mission to Vandal from the home base. That means you need to be fully trained on Sage's console, and I want you to get started no later than tomorrow."

Stanford really couldn't argue about that. He chose not to, opting to suck it up and deal with the fact that he would be having migraines for a little while from trying to learn that complex thing. There was still one thing though that bothered him a bit. "So…what about an emergency? I'm not going to sit here and be trapped in a bubble because you want to keep me safe, Vert." There was no way he could do that…not after nearly losing him once too often to recall. "If something happens, I'm coming, whether you like it or not."

Vert smiled and tightened his hand around Stanford's. "I would expect nothing less…"

"Awwww~! Look at the love birds," a voice teased. "I bet this is the part where they kiss and hearts bubble up."

"If that happened, I would have to wonder if indeed I was on the planet earth and not in some induced coma brought on by Krytus," another voice muttered.

Vert and Stanford came out of their little bubble to see the others standing in front of them. Spinner was grinning with Zoom elbowing him in the ribs, and Tezz was grimacing at the thought of actual red heart shaped bubbles coming out of thin air. Agura was laughing at his face, and A.J. and Sherman were staring at the couple in understanding. Rather than move apart, Stanford moved closer, rested his head against Vert's and shoved his plate forward. "You're just jealous because my date is cuter than yours," Stanford teased, "Which is why Sherman gets to eat the rest of my food."

"Zoom is not cute," Spinner exclaimed. "He's adorable! Like that puppy in the window your mom won't let you have."

"Ha ha Spinner." Zoom shoved him into the booth and sat down aside him. "Remember that this puppy can kick your ass."

"Ooh, so scared. What are you going to do? Lick me to death?"

The Diner was filled with incredulous sounds of disgust, disbelief and laughter a moment later. Spinner was frantically wiping his cheek screaming for someone to get him some Purell. Zoom, unfazed, grabbed the rest of Stanford's juice and guzzled it down. "Oddly enough, he tastes like chicken."

"Are you feeling better, Stanford?" Agura asked.

"I'm all right for the moment," he said truthfully. "I know you're probably going to kick my arse…"

"No doubt about it…but I am glad you're okay…and that you're actually a redhead," she smirked.

Stanford blinked at that, and almost brought back up his breakfast through his nose when he realized just what she meant. "You mean to tell me that…you—Vert! Mmmph!"

The Blonde quieted his redheaded companion with a kiss that left him speechless, long enough for him to ignore the catcalls and quietly say, "We'll consider this our second date and leave that alone."

"A second date?" Tezz asked. "How?"

"Because," Stanford muttered, a smile tugging at his lips as he settled back down, "the second date is always the worst."

* * *

><p>If you think you are allergic to something, please get tested. I can't stress that enough. The world is strange enough as it is without knowing you have a food allergy. If you do have one, please take the proper precautions and follow what your physician says. He is not telling you to stop eating something to make you mad. He's telling you to stop so you won't die.<p>

And please LIST your allergies anywhere that requires it so people know what to do when you have an attack. Let someone know. And carry your meds!

Next chapter up in a few days. Two if I get some nice reviews. :)


	3. Third Lap

I probably should explain some things if you haven't figured it out for yourselves:

These chapters are based in between episodes. Some of them will be flashbacks later on, but I'm trying to keep pace with the series, even though its over for the moment.

I also have decided to incorporate some details of the long forgotten series _"Hot Wheels Accelerators_" since this current series was ripped from that one with similiar and better results. I know Vert was the star in those series as well, but he's so much cooler here. Cooler looking as well. I don't think I will pull that part...but we'll see.

Couples so Far:

**_Vert/Stanford_**

**_Tezz/Agura_**

**_A.J/Sherman_**

**_Zoom/Grace_** -future chapters

I am planning to include everyday, or rather, normal moments with these pairings, as well as not so normal ones. Of course, this chapter addresses the whole "group date" thing...you know, where your group of buddies drag you and your date along for some fun? Yeah. There's really not much of a plot behind it...just one of those days with plenty of moments you'll either squee at or ask me "What inspired **that**?"

Either way...I'll make up for it with Chapter four.

**Me:** *holds her nose*...I shouldn't dress people like that.

**Vert:** Like what?

**Me:**...-_-;; put your shirt back on~!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lap 3:<span>**

_Driving Stick_

_a.k.a._

_The Horror Flick Date Group Thing_

"No, dude, we have to see that!"

Spinner was bouncing in his seat, pointing at the television in earnest. Sherman was sitting next to him, nose buried in a book and dutifully ignoring the spastic motions of his older brother when he was excited about something. Spinner, not one to be ignored long, tugged at his arm and pulled him out of the best part to stare at the screen where Zoom and Agura were staring in slight awe. All they heard was a scream, and then the screen was covered in blood that spelt out the name of the movie.

"Oh Dude, awesome!" Zoom cried. "I totally want to see that movie. I hear that it's so scary that people leave deposits in their seats before they leave the theater!"

"I heard that movie was so scary someone had a heart attack in the middle of one of the calmer scenes," Agura gushed. "I wonder if it is that scary…"

"I has to be!" Spinner cried. "I was looking up the reviews, and the critics couldn't sit through it long enough to say anything!"

The three of them looked at one another. It was decided. "We going to see that movie!" they cried.

Sherman rolled his eyes and sat back against the couch. "Have fun you three."

"Whoa, who said you're not coming?" Spinner exclaimed. "Sherman, you have to go! It's like a rule or something!"

"And what rule is that?"

"It's the rule of three. Odd numbers can't go to a scary movie," Zoom said. "It's horrible luck. As anyone who died in a horror film. Always in an odd number group."

"Besides, if I gotta be scared senseless, you're sharing in the mayhem!" Spinner cried. He tugged at Sherman's arm again, pleading with his eyes as well as his pizza scented mouth. "Oh, come on Sherm, please?"

There could be no good to come from this. Scary movies and this lot were just as bad as oil and water. They still insisted on going, and he insisted that they were insane every single time they went and came back freaked out. One movie had his elder brother rolling over in his sleep screaming for a week straight. He didn't want a repeat of it, or to do it himself.

Strong, secure, and heavy arms plopped themselves on his shoulders. The scent of outside and pine grabbed him before he could process that A.J. had once again, dropped in on the middle of the conversation. "Bruh? What's all this pleading I've been hearing about now?" he asked, his Canadian accent only enhanced by the fact that he had been sleeping not too long ago. This heat tended to drain him and walking into the AC only pushed him further into the '_nap the noon away'_ zone. He was awake now and curious about the excitement bubbling from Spinner still bouncing in his seat. "Why's your Bro pouting all pretty like?"

"He wants to go see that new horror film," Sherman sighed. "And he wants me to go."

"You mean the one Vert's been trying to see for the last two weeks? Why not?"

"Because I'm not really interesting in trying to convince Spinner that his nightmares are just figments of his imagination and a not premonition of what is to come."

A.J. laughed a little as he buried his face against the back of Sherman's neck. "That was pretty funny," he murmured lightly, grinning a bit at the gooseflesh just beneath his fingers. Sherman didn't move much to his credit, but there was little he could do when it came to A.J. doing what he did best; being himself. A lot of that included teasing the slightly bigger man into a state they could take care of on another level, but that didn't quite bother them since they weren't actually there yet. Still, watching the blush come rushing to Sherman's cheeks did something to A.J.'s stomach. It was used to being flipped by now. "Come on…we should totally go," he said. "It'll make your brother happy…and you might enjoy it."

"Correction: It'll make Spinner have nightmares and me think the wrong thing the next time I walk into a theater."

"And who says it won't be fun?"

"Dude, you **two** are going to be the ones giving me nightmares!" Spinner groused. "I want to see someone getting chopped to pieces, not A.J. trying to figure out how to turn on my brother and scar me for life!"

"No way bro," Zoom said. "If you come A.J., we still need another person. Odd numbers are seriously bad!"

Agura saw the answer to their problem walking by without his usual companion in his fingers. Whether he was walking from one computer to the next or just passing through, Tezz was now in her sights and uncertain just what he was in for when she jumped up and grabbed his thin hand in hers.

His face never was so colorful. "Excuse me, but…what is the meaning of this?" he asked somewhat frantically. "I have important research—"

"Oh stuff it with the research line," Agura snapped lightly. "We know you're socially awkward, and that's fine. It's even cute. But tonight, you're coming to the movies with us. No buts about it…and no, I'm not explaining that reference."

Tezz had lost track after the word _cute_ came out of her mouth. "Um…"

"Whoa, it's like watching the greatest hockey player choke on the puck," A.J. awed. "I've never heard the word 'um' come out of that mouth, eh?"

"No, you haven't," Sherman laughed. "You'd better just agree Tezz. Agura doesn't take no lightly."

The Russian could only nod a bit. "But of course…I've seen so myself…personally," he mused. "But ah, if I may ask, what are we doing, and why are we doing it? And who is going to be watching the Hub?"

"We're going to the movies," Agura said. "We're going to see some horror flick because it's fun scaring yourself with other people, and since it's late and there's been nothing going on, Sage has everything under control. It's the only reason we're up here Vert's Garage watching television now."

"Hey, where is Vert anyhow?" Zoom asked. "And Stanford—wait…nevermind. Dumb question."

"Dude, just follow the sounds of heavy petting," Spinner cackled. "I'm sure you'll find them."

They really didn't have to look too far. The Garage was pretty big on its own, with a living quarters attached to the right side of it. They were currently in the actual garage above the hub, where reception was best for televisions that weren't sentient made. Sometimes a good thing was too good of a thing, and Sage's attempt to pick up extra channels resulted in them being able to see some strange stuff from other countries…live at five. Spinner wasn't too sure if he'd ever think of little old ladies in the same fashion again. Some, apparently in their old age, were just as bad as teens…and topless old ladies were not an image he wanted to harbor in his head.

Slipping from where they were standing or seated, they made tracks to the other building connected to the racing circuit. They didn't have to go far to find them, and at that they sort of wish they all hadn't barged in on what was in front of them, not that the stars were noticing.

Vert had his back to them, swaying his hips to music they couldn't hear. It was a steady motion of side to side, his hips lowering themselves a bit in time to the sure beat that had taken over his senses. Stanford was with him, his back against Vert's chest, arms raised up in the air with Vert's hands on the bare skin of his hips decorated in some rather low jeans. Vert tugged and pressed them closer together, bringing them down to the floor and up again, spinning Stanford around in his arms to pull him back through the loops of his belt.

Stanford came willingly, a sultry smile on his lips as his arms curled themselves around Vert's neck. He moved his head a little closer, moaning softly as Vert claimed his lips and then some. It was the sort of kiss that led to more than just falling back against the nearest counter, and had others hot and bothered right alongside them wondering if they would just drop to the floor and give in to the primal urge. Vert's hand may have tugged a little on those jeans and Stanford's fingers may have dug a little harder into the shirt he clung to, but it didn't go much further.

Vert's phone chirped and broke their little mood.

"Mmm, is it that time already?" Stanford purred. He kissed Vert's jaw twice, moving up to cover his lips as the blonde growled against him. "Don't worry…I'm still going."

"You better be…it's no fun being scared senseless by myself."

"But that's part of the fun either way. You go, you get scared, come back…and I hold you until you forget all about it, or…you can hold me…" Stanford laughed a bit as Vert wrapped his arms fully around his lower waist, hauling him up just enough for him to straddle his hips. The teen was amazingly strong, and rather good with his grip. "This is a good example, yes…in fact, you can do it a little longer…"

"You come up with some very good ideas…"

"I am a genius in my own right. Hey, did you like that track?"

Vert let Stanford slip from where he was perched and pulled the unnoticed earpiece out of his ear. "It's really something! You've got a talent for sound Stanford…I think you should look into that when this is all over."

"It's a thought…"

"And here's another one," Spinner called, "Stop sucking face long enough to see that we can see you tongue wrestling!"

Stanford remained where he was, pulling back a bit to glare at the smaller Cortez openly gagging at them. It didn't stop Vert from laying another kiss on his cheek. "Some people have no respect for the finer things in life," he huffed. "It's probably a good thing you only saw the last bit of that. Your brain might have fallen out of your mouth."

"If it hadn't sizzled to nothing," Vert snickered. "So what brings you guys this way?"

"Bro, it's like this," Zoom said, "We want to go to the movies to see that killer flick, but we can't take an Odd number of people—"

"Because that's seriously bad luck," Stanford said. "Odd numbers are weird like that…"

"You see?" Spinner turned around to A.J. and Sherman hitting them on their chests. "Now you both have to go with us! Everyone has to go!"

"Well…we were going anyhow," Vert mused, "And it's been quiet…I don't see why not."

"Aw yeah! A night out!" Zoom cried excitedly. "I haven't been this stoked since the last time I was this stoked."

"This morning?"

"That cereal was so awesome."

Vert shook his head in amusement. "So it's settled then. I'll let Sage know what's going on and we can leave. Hey Babe, rev the car up and put that track in…" He winked Stanford's way and left with a distinctive swag in his walk as he went to go find Sage. "I want to hear more of what you can do…"

Vert left and Agura couldn't quite help the low whistle leaving her mouth. Tezz had to work his jaw back into its proper motions. "I do believe that was some serious pheromone spreading," he remarked softly. "Jeez, Vert knows how to work his strut efficiently, huh?"

Agura looked back to see Stanford fanning himself with a smug grin on his face. "Oh yeah," she agreed. "It's probably a good thing one of them isn't a girl…someone would have been pregnant."

"Stanford would have his babies any day," Spinner smirked. "Isn't that right?"

The redhead only smirked back. "Who says I'm not?"

A.J. laughed helplessly as Spinner covered his ears screaming "la-la-la!" The teen had asked for it, and Stanford gave as good as he got. Besides, he wasn't so sure that the Brit be the only one.

"Dwwaahhh!"

"A.J.!"

"What? Oh, did I say that out loud?" By the look Sherman was giving him and how he was biting his lip not to laugh, yeah, he had. "Whoops."

* * *

><p>Sage had been more than happy to let them go. The Reds were being quiet, and the Vandals hadn't made a sound to signal that they were messing with anything they shouldn't. They were sure they were up to something, but it was best to go about the day as if there wasn't a war going on. Sage was taking their absence as an opportunity to work on some things, as well as provide a few upgrades that would be waiting upon their return. She had winked at Vert, telling him not to come back with a liter less of water than when he'd left.<p>

It was her way of telling him not to piss himself.

He'd nearly hugged the sentient. She could be so off sometimes, but it was really funny.

He'd gone back topside and directed the group to their vehicles. Of course he was driving the Reverb, since Stanford was waiting for him in it in the passenger side. He wasn't expecting Agura to forgo her Tangler and slip into the side of the Splitwire. The look on Tezz's face was priceless. It was as if he'd forgotten the genius part of himself and stared stupidly at her for a full ten seconds. He snapped to when she started the ignition and closed her door with a small laugh.

Sherman had hopped into the Slammer with A.J. That was expected, but Spinner hopping on the back of Zoom's bike was not. "We decided it was better to conserve some energy," Zoom had explained, "Plus, it's a chance to scare the piss out of Spinner before he gets there."

Spinner had been adamant about telling Zoom not to do anything that involved them going up, down, upside down, or in circles in the most colorful fashion he could. Zoom had just smirked…and proceeded to do just that on the way there.

By the time they'd gotten to the movie theater, Spinner had pretty much forgotten about how he was going to kick Zoom's behind for making him scream like a girl three times. The fourth one didn't count, no matter how much everyone else said it did. He was literally bouncing on his heels, in line for the tickets and watching as several others came out looking like someone had chopped off their parents heads for the hell of it.

"Oh my god, this is going to be so sweet!" he cried. "Check out their faces!"

"Dude…that one looks like he might upchuck," Zoom mused. "I should have brought my camera."

Sherman grimaced to himself. "I think I might regret this…"

"Nah, you'll be fine," A.J. assured. "I'm right here. Spinner, on the other hand…might lose a little water weight by the end of this." Spinner stuck his tongue out at him. "Bruh, don't stick that out unless you intend to use it." He stuck it back in and sucked on his cheeks like he'd eaten something bitter. A.J. patted him on the back. "I hope you brought a change of pants."

"I think…they might be providing them," Tezz mused. He pointed, and the others watched in slight disbelief as one of the movie attendants came and handed a trembling teen another set of pants. His friends were torn between snickering and being embarrassed, but didn't mock him as he dashed off to the nearest restroom.

Stanford moved a little closer to Vert, the blonde slipping his hand into his. "You're so going to owe me for this."

"I think I might owe myself," Vert muttered. "Maybe we should see Transformers…"

It was a thought, but one to be shucked like corn on an open pit. Spinner was at the window and came away holding his ticket like it was a prize. They had no choice now.

"Um…is anyone else having second thoughts about this?" Agura asked.

"If we didn't, I'd hate to see what kind of people we were," Vert said. "Just…try not to think about it too much."

* * *

><p>Spinner plopped into the furthest seat on the far left of one of the lower rows closer to the screen. He had a tray of goodies in hand and one large Soda sitting comfortably in his designated holder. Zoom sat aside him, candy in hand and an already half eaten pretzel in the other. They put on their 3-D glasses, grinning anxiously and excitedly at the other.<p>

"Dude, if you piss your pants, I'm so dragging you back," the martial artist said.

"Speak for yourself," Spinner quipped back.

"Are you two going to argue the entire movie?" Agura asked.

They shrugged. She rolled her eyes and sat back, digging herself into her seat. She was seated behind them, a box of junior mints unopened in her lap and her drink sitting in her hand as she sipped at it. Tezz was right beside her, surprisingly, with a box of milkduds he'd already begun to eat. She held out her hand towards him and he tipped his box, stealing her drink and taking a sip of it as payment. She grinned around the mouthful of candy she had.

A.J. smiled at the two of them and settled back into his own seat. Sherman had opted not to get his usual treats, sitting aside him with only one tub of popcorn sitting between them. He'd said he'd rather not have a full stomach if this movie was as scary as they said it was. A.J. had a feeling they weren't quite kidding about that. The waiver they'd made everyone sign before coming in here was not a factor of relative tameness hyped up to be more than what it was. The last time he'd signed a waiver, he'd been too glad he wasn't one of the unfortunate ones on that ride.

Sherman nudged him a little. "Are you all right?"

"Yah," he said. "Just trying not to freak myself out. It's not working."

Sherman smiled a bit and squeezed A.J.'s hand in the popcorn tub.

The lights were dimming. Stanford, once sitting ramrod in his seat and trying not to have a small panic attack, latched himself onto Vert. Vert laughed a little at the feel of that faux-hawk grazing his chin as Stanford's head planted itself on his shoulder. His slender muscular arms curled around his slightly bigger ones. The small bag of popcorn he'd gotten remained untouched in his lap. Vert popped another handful of his own popcorn into his mouth, the salty buttered flavor distracting him from what he truly wanted to devour. He couldn't quite help himself after a moment, leaning down to kiss that face riddled with anxiety.

"It'll be okay," he promised. "It's only a movie…we've seen worse up close."

"Tell that to my brain," Stanford murmured. "Just…try not to laugh when I scream."

"Only if you don't laugh when I do."

"It's starting!" Spinner hissed excitedly. "Oh boy, here we go!"

They braced themselves…and were not prepared for what happened the first five minutes into the movie.

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>Two and a half hours later:<span>_**

The credits rolled up into the heavens of the large screen. The lights came back on and lit up the once dark room filled to the brim with people.

Only half of them remained, and of those who did few moved to flee.

Zoom gently pried Spinner's fingers from his thigh. He'd barely noticed them there, having gripped the ends of his chair arms until they'd nearly snapped. Spinner still couldn't quite move himself then, mindless babbling a sign of how far gone his mind was. Zoom couldn't bring himself to snap him out of it. He could only slide down in his chair and cover his face with a long and low moan too pitiful to be anything more than his brain screaming still. "Oh holy crap dude," he groaned, "That couldn't have been…oh dear heavens…"

Spinner lurched forward and grabbed the back of the seat in front of him then, trembling hard enough to rattle the seat. "O-oh…m-my g-g-god…" he stammered, "T-that…th-that…oh jeeezz…Zoom?"

"Huh?"

"D-d-did….did you…s-see…"

Zoom wanted to shake his head. "They weren't kidding…"

The boys looked at one another and decided it was best not to get up just yet. They weren't sure if they could walk out of the theater normally or run out screaming like they wanted to. Several people had at the beginning, and more ran out when the middle had some and practically tore their backbones out. Spinner barely remembered his popcorn flying…or that he jumped up high enough to land on the arm when he came back down, but he'd been so freaked out then that he hadn't noticed the pain. It was a noticeable throb now, sure to leave a bruise, but it was better than what happened to those people in that movie.

Behind them, Agura lifted her head from where it had been buried a good portion of the movie. Her glasses fell off of her pinched face, clattering to the floor under the weight of the end credit music. She took no notice of it. She was still trying to tell her fingers to unclamp themselves from whatever she'd grabbed onto. It took her a moment to realize that her fingers were clamped down on another set, one belonging to the Russian scientist that had dropped his milk duds fifteen minutes into the movie. The scattered balls of malt and chocolate remained at his feet, in the same position they'd been in the moment they'd fallen. He had not moved an inch during the movie, except to let Agura grab him after a particularly brutal scene. Her hand had found his and they'd not been apart.

He squeezed her hand to let her know that he was indeed alive, but could not work his voice just yet. He was vaguely aware of screaming right alongside her for a time…and possibly covering his eyes with Agura face-planting into his shoulder near the end of it. This required some study…but after he managed to get his legs and mind working properly again.

Sherman and AJ…were not there. They were one of the few people that got up and walked the moment the lights came back on. They were currently at the bottom of the theater, talking softly and glimpsing back up at the others worriedly when they still didn't move. Sherman was sure that Spinner would be up for days. Hell, he was going to be up for a few days. Whoever came up with this movie was seriously dark and should never come into contact with Krytus, Zemerick, or Kalus…or Hitler in the afterlife. Half the stuff in that movie was enough to chill his bones and pray that there was no one that sick in the world he'd ever have the misfortune of running into. A.J.'s warm shoulder kept him from thinking too hard on it, but he knew the Canadian was just as freaked out.

"Bruh…"

"Hmm?"

"Remind me never to rent this," A.J. muttered. "It's too cold even for the likes of me, eh?"

Sherman would not have a problem with that.

Spinner finally worked out the logistics of normal movement long enough to look back to see where everyone else was. He saw Zoom, Agura, Tezz, his brother Sherman, and A.J.

There was no sign of Vert or Stanford.

"Guys? W-where's the living boom-box and the fearless one?" he asked. "I don't see them."

The others seemed to snap out of it and regained their senses. Sure enough, Vert and Stanford were nowhere to be found. Agura unwrapped herself from around Tezz, missing the look he gave her when she'd separated herself. Had she seen, she might have hesitated. Zoom did see, but decided not to point it out. He'd grab Agura later. For now he was more concerned about what she was going to say when she examined their seats.

Agura studied the mess that was left where Vert and Stanford had been sitting. Their seats were still warm to the touch. "They were just here," she surmised. "They must have gotten up with the crowd and left."

"We didn't see them," Sherman said as he approached the rest of the group. "A.J. and I got up with everyone else as well."

"They must have slipped out just before the movie ended then," she mused. "They definitely stayed for the duration. I heard Stanford screaming with us."

"Hey, I did not scream!" Spinner cried. "I let out a manly yelp."

"You screamed like the rest of us girls," Zoom smirked. "I'm not ashamed to say I just about crapped my pants. That movie was gory…"

"Fer sure Bruh," A.J. muttered. "Man, the crap people come up with. I might have to sleep with the night light on."

"Let's go see if they're in the lobby," Agura suggested. "I'm sure they're waiting for us."

Her legs decided that they wanted to stretch themselves in a hasty manner, and her hand grabbed the first one that came in contact with it. Tezz was all but yanked from his seat and yelping a bit as he was forced to run after her. The others weren't about to wait around. The smell of someone actually shitting themselves was high in the air, and mingled with dried popcorn, sugar, and the smell of sweat and fear, it was enough to have A.J. dry heaving a bit.

The guy who shat himself whimpered in his seat.

They had only gotten a few steps into the lobby when they spotted their teammates by one of the waiting benches. Stanford was saying something to Vert, causing the blond to laugh and move a little closer. They didn't look like the type of teens that had seen the scariest, sickest, movie ever. In fact they looked more like someone who'd seen the end of _Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon_: Giddy as hell and wanting to do it all over again…plus a little love struck from being in the arms of their significant other. Their calm demeanor threw them all for a loop, especially Spinner still trying to fight the flashes of the movie popping into his head. How could they be so calm?

"Dudes, did you not watch the movie?" Spinner cried. "You're all like…happy and not freaked the hell out!"

Vert grinned a little at him. "Oh, we watched the movie."

"Yeah…we just, watched more…of us…than the actual movie part," Stanford said between snickers. "Don't get me wrong, that was one gruesome movie…but I rather enjoyed it."

"Are you kidding me? Dude, you're so kidding!" Zoom cried. "How could you enjoy a movie like tha—ooh, oh dude…you just didn't…"

Vert wouldn't deny it or own up to it. He simply smirked, pulled Stanford against him, and got up with a laugh that echoed off of the walls. They couldn't figure it out until Zoom screamed after them, "That's what the back of the theater is for!"

The others groaned, held their heads, or looked at their hands and blushed when they realized who was holding who. Agura made no move to remove hers, and Tezz smiled a little bit.

Spinner couldn't take it. His brain shut itself off and babbling was all that came out of his mouth.

Once they were out of the theater and walking through the mall to get to the parking lot, Stanford looked over at Vert humming a happy tune. "Are you ever going to tell them?" he asked softly. "I mean, it seems a bit unfair that we ditched them…well, that and I wasn't sitting through that movie again."

"I wasn't about to either," Vert chuckled. "But no, I'm not telling them that we let two other saps take our seats and slipped out five minutes into it…or that we saw that thing a couple of nights ago. They'll get over the shock…and this way, we got the group date thing out of the way."

Stanford would have thought that happened a little later on, but getting it out of the way now made time for them to step a little further into their own relationship. "I see. So is Optimus Prime badass or what?"

"Jeez, don't get me started," Vert chuckled. "That we'll talk about in the car…as well as sleeping arrangements."

"Sleeping arrangements?"

"Oh yeah…you've been scared by that movie we supposedly saw…and now I'm afraid we'll both have bad dreams. I think I might just spend the night in your room…just to make sure you're safe."

Stanford batted his eyes. "Such a gentleman…and all mine…" He leaned over and kissed Vert gently; loving the way Vert pressed into it and him in that subtle dominant way he had about him. He'd never felt this strongly about anyone before, but it was a feeling he could grow to love over time. For now, he was happy to have Vert tuck him into his side and walk off for the car with the others behind them screaming for them to wait.

* * *

><p>"Dude, the hub is creepy when there are no lights on."<p>

It was the understatement of the century. They were used to seeing everything powered down, but after the horrifying two and a half hours they spent trying not to scream—and failing miserably—the eerie incandescent blue hum from the hub was not as welcoming as it once was. The cars that had remained sat still in the darkness, as if to glare at the dying lights of the cars coming to a stop with their passengers in it.

Zoom popped his helmet off, staring at the place. Spinner was slow to get off of the back of the bike. He'd been shaking since he'd left the theater. Zoom was highly aware of it, but didn't call the smaller teen on it. He was sure Spinner would have felt him shaking as well. Driving in the dark had new meaning now.

_It's still not as scary as the Shadow Zone…_

"Well, I'm tired." Vert stretched his arms out over his head and yawned. "As much as I want to do it again, I'm all for sleep."

"H-How can you sleep a-after watching th-that movie?" Spinner cried. "Aren't you freaked?"

"A little…but it's nothing my human sized teddy-bear won't cure."

Stanford let out a light yelp before he laughed uncontrollably, walking for his room with Vert firmly latched to his waist. Eventually Vert managed to lift him by the waist and carried him off into the dim hallway with Stanford's half hearted protests echoing off the walls.

Agura swallowed the lump in her throat. "We…should go to bed too." She wanted to. She really wanted to but walking towards that room in that darkness was looking less and less appealing the longer she thought about it. Rather, she inched her way over to Tezz and just about leapt out her skin when something clattered on the floor.

Zoom smiled at her apologetically and picked up his keys. "My bad."

"Okay…so…we're going to bed? Right? Bed?" Spinner asked. He kept darting his eyes at the hallway but didn't move an inch toward it. "I-I mean…it was just a movie. W-what there to be scared about?"

The bright blue crack of something large and ominous startled them enough to send them screaming in the opposite direction. A.J. was pulling Sherman, Spinner was screaming as Zoom ran with him on his back, and Agura clung to Tezz as the Russian ran faster than the lot of them with her in his arms.

Sage watched them go, a small smirk on her face as she powered down the newest light show she'd been working on in her spare time. Now that she was alone, she could watch that movie she'd borrowed from Stanford earlier today.

That night the lot of them stayed up past two in the morning, falling asleep when exhaustion took over and left them sprawled throughout the common room down in the Hub. Spinner snored softly, drool pooling under his head into the couch pillow he'd grabbed. He was sprawled out, legs tucked into him and pressed against Zoom's head. The Muai Thai fighter was snoring a little louder; truly tuckered out from trying to keep himself awake. The two of them took up the space of the couch, while the others were speckled on the floor or on the loveseat. A.J. and Sherman were on the floor against one another, A.J. with his head pillowed against Sherman's chest. Agura and Tezz took up the loveseat, Tezz resting comfortably with his head lolling on the arm and Agura nestled against him, legs entwined and torsos pressed together in their bout of sleep.

Sure enough, Spinner woke them all up with an ear piercing scream about two hours later…and they all beat him with whatever pillows they could find.

Stanford and Vert weren't aware of it. They were too busy snoring on their own in Vert's room, a silly contented smile on their faces as the night drifted on.

And Sage? Sage was too busy giggling her head off at "_The Rocky Horror Picture Show_", and trying not to laugh herself senseless when she pictured Krytus in that get up.

Elsewhere, Kyrtus woke up screaming about fishnet stockings.

His subordinates wisely said nothing.

* * *

><p>FYI: I'm ahead of this fic by four chapters, soon to be five. I'm trying to pace myself and not post them all at once. :) Updates in about three to seven days! Longer if the muses leave me.<p>

**Me:** *stares at Muses*

**Vert:** What are you staring at? Do I have a pimple or something?

**Me:**...no. Just stay put. You too Stanford.

**Stanford:** Only I can wear the Hello Kitty undies you promised me!

**Me:** *nose bleed*

Reviews are nice. :)


	4. Fourth Lap

Ah, once again we find ourselves looking at one another.

You have a huge ZIT on your face that looks like my fifth grade teacher and it's creeping me out. O.o

J/K!

Welcome back to the mayhem of this little misadventure. :) Here's yet another chapter...in which my nose kind of bled at the implications of what was to come. Nothing graphic, but my imagination gets the better of me.

**Vert:** I like her imagination.

**Agura:** I know AJ does. You should see chapter six! *squees* Major AJ/Sherman action. So cute! *starry eyes*

**Me:** *sweatdrop* I-it's not that big of a deal...Chapter Seven is about you and Tezz so-AGAH! AIR!

**Agura:** *squeezing the life out of her* You're so awesome!

**Me:** Okay...but...can I breathe now? *gasping for air*

**Stanford:** Try not to abuse the goddess...she's still in the process of deciding if she wants to go there with the raunchiness...and I would like to be laid out in the open.

**Vert:** *eyes Stanford up and down* I sure hope she says yes...

**Me:** *blushes furiously* You people are more pervy than I am!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lap 4:<span>**

_Put it in Reverse_

_a.k.a._

_A man needs his space…but not that much!_

"You guys didn't split up did you?"

The horrified look on Grace's face was enough to make Stanford smile a bit for the first time that morning. He shook his head, watching as she deflated over the counter. Slender hard working fingers dug themselves into his jacket. He went willingly, unable to pull himself to protest when Grace sat herself upright and demanded to know what happened.

If only he knew.

"I couldn't tell you," he said shrugging his shoulders. "One moment we're talking…and then next he's saying we're spending a bit too much time together…and then I'm here. Waiting on my dairy free smoothie to suck into oblivion where my happiness lies."

Grace gave him a long suffering look, sympathy glittering in her eyes as the Brit sat back and sighed heavily. It didn't quite go as he mentioned, but it was close enough. They had been talking…absently mind you. It was only after Stanford had come waltzing into Vert's room and sitting himself down to see his downcast leader lying face first on the bed. The mission hadn't gone as well as it should have, leading them to a probable loss that could have been avoided. Still, every mission had that probability. It wasn't something to be upset over for as long as he had.

Two days came and went and not one of them had seen much of Vert. He'd been brooding, and it was best to avoid him when he was like that. Stanford steered well and clear, not sure if his presence would help at all. Teens were moody creatures. He was one. This morning however, the others had pushed him into going into Vert's room and snapping him out of it. He agreed. It had gone on long enough.

So why was it that when he'd tried to talk to Vert, Vert had come out of nowhere and said, "_Look, I need my space right now. I just want to be alone…not doing anything, not speaking to anyone, not thinking about everything and anything._"? Stanford couldn't quite bring himself to say anything to that. He could understand it. But that didn't mean that hearing the words hurt, or knowing himself that misinterpreting them had caused him to rise without saying a word and leaving before Vert could say something else.

He might have heard Vert calling for him. He wasn't sure. He'd hopped in his car and drove off with the speakers blasting. He didn't want to think the obvious or admit that maybe he overreacted.

He didn't want to hear his phone beep for the fifth time since he'd gotten here.

Grace smoothly picked up the phone in front of him and opened his messages waiting. "Aw," she cooed. "He's pleading for you to come back and talk to him…"

"So now he wants to talk?" Stanford scoffed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "He didn't want to before. We can stay not talking for all I care."

"You don't mean that."

"Of course I don't, but I'm not going to go running back just because he's sorry!"

Grace giggled at him and kissed his cheek. "It'll work itself out, Stan. Vert's not a bad guy…but he is a teen, and you know how we can get."

"Yeah well…he can sweat it out for a few hours."

Grace handed him his dairy free smoothie as his watch went off with a blaring whir. He groaned, sipped on his drink, and ran out of the Diner with his apologies drifting behind him. Grace grinned after him.

"Oh, those kids are always on some kind of strange schedule," Zeke remarked coming out from the back. "I think that fancy Japanese watch of theirs goes off more than the Sergeant when he eats my Chili."

"No one goes off like **that**," Grace giggled. "And that reminds me…we have to by more freshener soon."

* * *

><p>"Okay…how messed up was today?"<p>

Today was extremely messed up by everyone's standards. It was even a bit much for Tezz, who usually overanalyzed anything to make sense of it. There was no way to explain the battle that just went down, or why the strange urge to laugh crazily bubbled in his chest. He decided to sit there and remain silent. At least until Agura stepped to the side of his car and leaned on the driver's side door. She asked him if he was okay.

He wasn't totally sure.

"I am…at a loss for once," he admitted. "It is highly disconcerting."

"Hey...you gotta admit, today was pretty jacked up…" Agura said. "I mean…Kalus is scary, but when he's doped up on Catnip…I think I like the old yelling Kalus much better."

Tezz agreed, wondering absently if he could bleach his eyeballs. Kitty swinging in the wind was a saying he would take to the grave and shudder at every time he thought about it. He'd never been curious to know about the anatomy of the human like animals that called themselves Vandals, but now he had a good general debriefing on what was under that loincloth and just what Kalus intended to do with it.

He really hoped Hatch could run faster than he came up with his inane ideas.

"How was I supposed to know it would do that?" Zoom asked. "I mean…it was a cat toy!"

"What were you doing with a cat toy anyhow?" Sherman asked.

Zoom shrugged. "I keep it with me. I had a cat I used to play with back at the temple."

"Dude, get a dog," Spinner muttered.

"No doubt that now he'll be screaming about how the sub-species drugged him," A.J. mentioned. "All though, it was pretty funny. I knew cats loved the stuff, but I've never seen anything as extreme as Kalus."

"That was not funny…it was downright scary and I want to scrub my brain."

"Hehe, it was now that I think about it," Sherman said with a light laugh. "Still, does anyone know why Kyrtus showed up screaming about fishnet stockings and never doing it with a human even if his body was the perfect specimen?"

Vert turned a little. He could have sworn Sage giggled. She had her back turned to them, one hand flying over the console and the other covering her mouth. Her shoulders were shaking…and he was sure then that she kind of knew why that happened. He'd have to pry it out of her later.

"All right team," he called, "Go dress down. Everyone's free for the night. Good job today."

"Does that mean you're going to do something else aside mope to death in your room?" Agura teased. Vert gave her a sideways look, wincing when she looked over at the only purple vehicle sitting in residence. "Seriously Vert, your brooding is worse than when I'm PMSing…and I think you might owe someone an apology."

The Reverb was still running. Stanford was still in it, recalibrating his weapons as he usually tended to when the battle was over. The others were used to hearing him boast and gloat about how many he'd taken down after each fight, but they were not used to hearing silence all around. Even his speakers weren't going, a sure sign that he was pretty mad. Vert swallowed the lump in his throat. He'd been swallowing it the moment he'd blurted out what had to be the dumbest thing he could have ever said.

He wouldn't even get the chance to gather the nerve to face a pissed off Stanford. The redhead propped himself up out of his car, slamming the door and walking off for his room. Vert called out to him to wait, but all he got was Stanford's finger pointing in his direction.

"No. You want space? You got space!" he snapped. "See? This is me giving you your space by walking to my room, which will be locked for the duration."

"Stanford—"

"Ah! Nope. Not hearing you. If anyone else needs me, you know where I am."

He walked off, not seeing Vert's outstretched hand collapse at his side in utter defeat. Oh, Vert was going to get his space, and he was going to regret it. He only hoped it wouldn't backfire…

Spinner, ever the obvious one, whistled long and low. He looked at Vert on the verge of having a headache caused by his own stupidity. "You have officially pissed off the British," he said. "Let's hope this doesn't turn into a civil war."

"You actually told him you wanted SPACE?" Agura cried. "How dumb are you? You don't tell your boyfriend that!"

"Hey, I didn't say I wanted my space! Well, not in that way," Vert cried in his defense. "All I said was that I needed my space and that—aw hell, look, I didn't mean it!"

"What I want to know is why you were brooding so damn hard in the first place," Zoom said. "I mean, we've taken harder hits and you've never let it get you down for two days in a row."

Vert bit his lip. He didn't think he'd been brooding quite that hard. The others saw it differently, crowding around him with demands to tell them what in the world had him acting so down in the mouth. He backed up, torn with running or telling him what had actually been on his mind. It was his business, but they were his team. It was this type of situation he dreaded the most with being leader. It was bad enough that he was already withholding certain things from them…thanks to a certain rock guardian.

Whatever he was going to do, it was again taken out of his hands. He had A.J. to thank for that one, although from the look on his face, he wasn't sure if the bigger built teen would punch him or shake him hard enough to cause some serious brain damage. The Canadian muttered something obscene under his breath and slapped Vert upside the head instead. "You are one seriously stubborn piece of work…and that you got from your old man, no matter how much you want to deny it."

Vert shrugged and gave him a dry smile. "What can I say?"

"Not a damn thing that I don't know. You only brood for two things. When you epic fail, and when that time of year comes about."

"What time of year?" Spinner asked. "Did…something happen?"

"Yeah…" Vert muttered. He hated thinking about it, and hated not knowing even more. "My dad…just up and vanished…one day. He just was…gone…and around now a few years back was when it happened."

Zoom shook his head softly, a pang in his chest. "Aw, that's way harsh." It wasn't the same as losing master Takeatsu, but it hit home in a way he could understand. "Why didn't you say something?"

"What could I say? Leave me alone because I'm totally peeving about something in my past I can't get over? Half the time I don't even want to think about it…and when I do, I just get mad. Who wants to be mad all the time?"

"Krytus."

"Besides him."

"Kalus."

"Besides him, too."

"The sheriff?"

Vert laughed a little at that. "He's always pissed. He was born that way."

"So now that we know, are you going to tell Stanford and apologize?" Agura asked. "He is a little on the sensitive side…plus his mean streak way harsh. Remember the time Zoom broke one of his CDs?"

Everyone shuddered. Zoom whimpered and hid behind Sherman. "Dude, do not remind me. I will never see what anyone sees in Taylor Swift…and hearing her for three days straight just about drove me nuts! Vert, apologize ASAP!"

"I will…just as soon as I figure out how."

* * *

><p>The rest of the night came and went, and it left without Stanford leaving his room. Vert had tried to get him to open the door and texted him several times…but Stanford neither responded nor made an attempt to acknowledge him. It was as if he'd been shut down and out, left to wander and wonder about just how bad this was going to get. Sure, they had their fights…the more spectacular of them being with that incident involving Stanford trying to take over the team, but that was before they were…whatever they were. Vert had gone to bed then, tossing his phone far away from him. He hated to think that something so good could be ruined because of his mouth...and he hated thinking that maybe this had more to do with what was unsaid rather than what had been.<p>

Vert had been on his own for a long time. Longer than he cared to remember. After his father vanished, he didn't have anyone he could really call family to talk to. His mother had passed on a year before, and while it was hard without her, it was harder still when his dad just up and left without a trace. He took that car of his and went somewhere, and damn it all if the whole little part of Handler's Corner didn't go looking for him.

After that, it was just him, his tools, and the garage. He kept to himself and gave into his love of racing, developing his skills in the hopes that one day he'd be good enough to enter a true race. The only problem had been his age, and a lack of sponsorship. He was best on his own though, and he could handle himself quite well.

At least…until he flew into the multiverse and the beginnings of a battle he never fathomed.

It was a hard lesson to learn, but people could not survive by themselves. He found that out on his first mission, trying to take out Zemerick without knowing just what that robot was capable of. Coming back and running into his future teammates made him highly aware of just how big the world was and how little it could be with only yourself to look after. Being here put in him charge of some of the most awesome people he could have met. It also made him realize just how lonely he'd been with Stanford waltzing into the picture and blatantly flirting with anything that walked on two legs.

Sure, first impressions gave him a little to wonder about when it came to the others. Stanford being a pompous ass being the first and only impression he had about the Brit for the longest time. Meeting Simon, however, changed his view a lot. Going into the zones time and time again for battle keys and defeating the invasions of Sark or Vandal, taught him that not everything or everyone was as they seemed. Stanford wasn't as bad as all that. He was a bit spoiled, but the teen came through even when he was at his worst.

Vert definitely wasn't what he'd though he'd been…a loner. It completely sucked not having anyone to talk to besides the Sergeant, Zeke, and whoever came looking to use the track. Nothing ever sat right. While he could smile and joke, it wasn't until there were other teens around that he realized just what he was missing.

It really blew that he didn't have anyone to latch onto…until Stanford had set his sights on him and deliberately did not pay attention to him. It was the oldest trick in the book, and one that had Vert clamping down on that baited line long before Stanford noticed. Just thinking about the look on his face when he'd beat him to the punch made him smile for no reason. It made him frown, too. He knew why, and it rubbed him raw in ways he hated to think about.

Vert spent the night trying to come up with a way to apologize. He had nothing by the time the sun came up dancing. By then his eyelids had shut themselves and he fell asleep hugging his pillow.

He might have bitten his pillow, had he known what he was in for today.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?"<p>

Agura didn't answer him. Tezz froze where he was sitting, a half eaten bowl of sugar encrusted treats covered in milk waiting for him to devour it. Spoon in midair, dripping with sugar drenched milk; Tezz eyed the African beauty slowly circling him like a lioness would its prey. It was downright scary and at the same time enchanting. The small evil smile she gave him sent chills down his spine. He jerked in response, dropping his spoon three seconds too late.

She was in his arms, her soft smell wafting over him in waves of euphoria scented glory. She smelt like outside; clean and fresh and with a hint of spice from her perfume. Her hands found their target, and Tezz like any male in this situation did the only thing he could think of. He dropped his head backward and moaned, eyes fluttering closed as she worked her magic.

"Oh my word…you do, do that well…" Tezz groaned again, eagerly pushing up into her fingers. "Please, don't ever to be stopping…that…ever!"

Agura giggled and kissed the very top of his head. "You're so cute when your English falters."

"You keep giving me temple massages like this one; I doubt I will remember English."

Spinner pointedly stuck his spoon in his mouth. "Is everyone hooking up?" he muttered around his soggy cereal. "At this rate all I'll have to do is look around me to get a cavity."

"Aw cheer up, Spinner." Zoom reached over and slapped him on his shoulder. "Being single means more free time to do what you want."

"Oh? So what is it that Grace has you doing that you don't want to do?"

"Absolutely nothing…and we're not dating. At least, I don't think we are. He hang out, which is just as cool. Free time is awesome. I found that out after I left the temple."

"Isn't the temple full of boys and monks with everlasting vows of celibacy?"

Zoom smirked at him and tucked into his cereal. "It's only what they want you to believe."

Spinner's brow couldn't get any higher if he tried. It set off Sherman in the middle of the paper, nearly spewing good food out of his nose. He managed to keep it down, although A.J. didn't have a problem snorting milk out of his nose. He caught it with the ends of his napkin, laughing with the others.

Vert blearily came into the kitchen, yawning tiredly as the day greeted him with its harshness and the laughter of his teammates. He'd slept past his alarm, and he only had himself to thank for that. Realizing it was noon only surged the leader out of his bed and straight into the floor. The red mark on his nose and head had yet to fade, and he knew he'd bruised his knee. The shuffling walk eased the pain of walking on it, but it didn't deter his gloom ridden mood. He still hadn't come up with a way to apologize to Stanford.

He was hoping he'd get a chance to see him here, but there was no trace of him. No sign of the half eaten scone Stanford tended to leave, and no scent of lingering French Roast left for late risers. He didn't hear the tell tale loom of heavy bass rumbling somewhere in the vicinity either.

Vert sighed to himself and plopped himself down at the island counter. His head slipped from his fingers and he let it hit the surface of the counter.

This…**sucked**.

"I should have stayed in bed…"

The others might have agreed if their attention wasn't on something else. Rather, **_someone_** else. Tezz's soft retort in Russian had Vert lifting his head long enough to see what they were openly gawking at.

He wished he hadn't looked. "Oh…my…god."

"God, no. Good looking? Hell yes," Stanford smirked. "But I do so love it when you refer to me as such."

The Brit couldn't have looked hotter if he'd tried. Vert felt his eyes roving before he could stop them, the knot in his chest tightening as the blood drained from his face and pooled in the center of his belly…and lower still. He sat up, assaulted by the fragrant air of something soft, clean, and tranquil flooding his nose with the slight taste of mint pooling in his mouth. Stanford pulled his glasses up and grinned at the whole lot of them.

"I would ask you if I look all right…" He paused and dragged his eyes over Vert's still form. "But I think lover boy's jaw hanging says it all."

Vert forced his jaw shut with an audible click. He couldn't tear his eyes away. The Brit had traded in his usual garb for a somewhat sheer shirt of deep purple that left little to nothing of the imagination. One could certainly tell that the AC was on, and that the Brit had something to hide. The gleam of a piercing that hadn't been there was captivating, rousing that little nub it was attached to even further than the cold air. Sinewy arms hung themselves at his sides were one could see that his shirt did not go much lower below his navel. There was nothing but skin, pale delectable skin…kissable, suckable—was that even a word?—skin begging for lips to ravish it.

Vert found himself sucking on his lower lip.

The pants he wore weren't so tight, but they were damn near close. It was like the first half of them had been painted on, and the rest draped down dribbled all over a pair of open laced converse. His jacket was on his shoulder, his glasses on his head, and the usual faux-hawk looking better than ever.

He smiled a little more, and thought he'd swallow his tongue.

"Stanford…you have a tongue ring?" Spinner screamed.

He rolled his eyes a bit at the shorter Cortez. "Almost all the world has a tongue ring. I got mine two years ago. Close family friend and all."

"B-but…you? A tongue ring? I-it's unfathomable! Insane even!"

"Spinner? Are you implying that I don't have the balls to do something? Because if you are, I'll have to prove it to you when I get back that I am not to be underestimated in getting what I want."

"Oh? And just where are you going mister take-all?" Agura asked. "Getting something else pierced?"

"Nope…just getting a tattoo I've wanted since I can remember. Grace is coming with…probably to see me scream like a baby."

The others giggled at this, but Vert was still trying to swallow. He couldn't. His mouth was too dry and it was too hot and he didn't want to move because it would **hurt**. Stanford, seemingly oblivious, waltzed forward in his direction. Hands reaching for something—him maybe, perhaps yes?—moved upward, landing on the edge of the counter on either side of Vert's arms; chest pressed to chest, noses barely touching but so close he could feel the heat of his breath on his dried lips. Vert tried again to swallow, but it stuck in his mouth with whatever words had come flying into the goo that was left of his brain sitting under his tongue.

"It's really a shame that you want your space, luv," Stanford breathed against that trembling mouth. "I would have loved to have you come and see just where I was getting this tattoo…and provided that you're a good boy, I might show you someday…when you decide to compromise your space again."

Heat. Blaring heat. Those lips were sinful flickers of fire than ignited the best and the worst in him. Vert felt his world shift on its axis, tilt forward, and bleed with his nose the moment Stanford released his mouth and left him with a parting wink.

He was gone…and Vert felt the world around him grow wide, vast, and desolate. The light was leaving…

The primal urge to grab what was his building to intolerable levels.

He kept himself there, but it was obvious to anyone who knew Vert that Stanford had chinked a nice hunk of his armor and Vert couldn't quite fathom how to deal.

"Whoa…I didn't know Stanford had it in him," Sherman murmured. "That's…way harsh."

"Quite." Tezz wrapped his arms around Agura's waist. "Just so it is noted, I never want that much space…unless I'm involved in something highly important. Otherwise, please to not have been granting me such form of torture…**ever**. It's just not humane."

Agura couldn't keep the squeal that left her from bubbling, and Tezz did not mind it. Not when it was against his lips and his brain was mush of the good non-analytical kind.

Vert kept the growl in his chest to himself. Stanford wanted to play…so be it.

* * *

><p>"<em>I still can't believe you did that!<em>" Grace gushed over the phone. "_I didn't think you'd go through with it Stanford?_"

The redhead, currently admiring himself in his rearview mirror, grinned at his reflection. "I didn't think I'd do it myself," he said, "But it wouldn't make sense to just go and not do it after all that, right? I mean, it would be redundant…and I really did want that mark."

"_And it looks so awesome! Please send me a picture of his face when he sees it."_

"That's if he sees it," Stanford corrected. "I don't even know how I drove back…the thing smarts now."

_"Oh, it'll heal. You'll send me a photo, right?"_

"Of course. See you tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and climbed out of his car with a slight hiss leaving his lips. The darn thing really smarted now, but it wasn't as bad as some of the bruises he'd gotten in battle. It was a small victory; one he was sure Simon would lose himself over once he got wind of it. If there was one thing he could safely say about his brother, his mouth didn't quite go as far as it said it did. He wouldn't dream of having something permanent on his flawless skin—the old windbag—or have anything piercing it.

He shut his car door, set to head back to his room to lie down for a bit. He was sure the others were still upstairs somewhere. Sage was around here somewhere, probably preoccupied. Stanford thought about searching the blue sentient out, but thought better of it when he noticed that half of the hub had been powered down. It meant that she was hibernating, something not uncommon these days as she tended to overexert herself. Another slow day wasn't a bad one…but it meant certain villains were up to no good.

There wasn't much he could do about it. His room popped back up into his agenda. He left, shy of getting into the corridor leading toward it when someone came from around the bend, towel in hand, smelling of Old Spice, and warm from a shower they'd only just taken. If his tongue piercing wasn't secure, he might have swallowed it and his tongue. As it was, he stepped back, commanding himself to breathe.

Vert looked up as if noticing Stanford for the first time. "You're back earlier than I thought," he said. There was a small tug at his lips, barely noticeable if one wasn't staring at his mouth. Stanford ripped his eyes away from those moist devils and focused on something safe…which was not his bare, sculpted…muscular…chest. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Not his interest, not his temperature, and definitely not the straining ache trying to pop out of the second denim skin on his legs. He shoved his fingers into his pockets, revealing a little more of his waistline. "What's up with you?"

"A little of this…a little of that." Vert strolled past him, brushing his shoulder against Stanford lightly as he made his way over to the Saber. He dropped the towel on the hood, fingers absently tracing the metallic red as he circled his pride and joy. She was everything her name resembled; a sharpened beauty that could wield a fire all its own ad cut through anything it its path. Vert was her handler, and the sharpened features of his muscles playing against his movements did nothing to diminish her beauty. In fact, it enhanced it, and Stanford fought not to drool openly at the sight. There was nothing sexier than a freshly showered man and his car…unless it was Vert Wheeler sporting some ink of his own along his shoulder blades.

The dark markings were intricate in nature, lines that could mean anything but beautiful all the same. Stanford had never seen them, not even when Vert somehow managed to get cut the hell up during various missions. When had he gotten that done? And why hadn't anyone ever seen it?

_Because he's always got that damn shirt of his covering it…_

Vert spun around and leaned against the cool surface of his car. His hair was still damp, a bit of water dripping from the ends to fall into the divot of his collarbone, trailing down into the lightly furred chest. Abs that surely had grated someone's cheese a time or two flexed as he let himself slide down to squat. It was only then—basically because Stanford had been trying NOT to think about running his tongue along somewhere else aside his lips—that he noticed Vert's lack of…jeans. He was in a loose pair of track pants…pants that rode lower than any of Stanford's jeans could on a good day.

Pants that revealed more than jeans ever could. Vert…had much to offer.

Blue eyes that told no lie flared into the Green ones dilating with open lust. "Stanford."

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry about before…so, can you please compromise my space before you make me compromise yours?"

It was like something out of a cheesy porn flick. Yet, the actors were never as hot as the blonde god effortlessly oozing sex and tugging him forward with a look before his hands and fingers, locking himself around his waist and finding that one spot some bloke had lucked out on years ago in a prior relationship. He melted, and all thoughts of teasing the mess out of Vert and his careless mouth went flying with his shirt.

Vert hefted Stanford up effortlessly, lips pressed against the soft skin of the Brit's neck, tasting, teasing, and drawing out the most delectable noises. He somehow managed to get them to the closest room, which happened to be his own. He muscled the door open and kicked it shut in the same breath, falling onto the bed and peeling those damned pants off of his boyfriend.

Outside of Vert's room, Spinner dropped his ice-cream.

Zoom slapped some money into Tezz's hand.

A.J. laughed.

Sherman kindly picked his brother off of the floor.

Agura got a message on her phone a few moments later and knew Grace would hit the roof. She certainly fanned herself, and giggled when Tezz grinned at it slyly.

At the Diner, Zeke had the unfortunate pleasure of hearing Grace squealing loudly and finding out why. He peeked over her shoulder, and decided that it was best to leave the mystery of teens to themselves. They took the weirdest photos…and so provocative!

Grace sighed in content and stared at that photo for the next five moments. There was nothing sexier than two hot guys posing for the camera…and Vert's smug grin inches above Stanford's new tattoo was something that she would burn in her head for all time.

* * *

><p><strong>Vert:<strong> I had it coming to me.

**Me:** O.o You're admitting it?

**Vert:** Why deny it? Besides, make up sex is awesome!

**Me:** -_-;; Why do I try?

Reviews are so Awesome. :)


	5. Fifth Lap

We're back with another update!

WHOO!

Sorry peeps, but its waaaay early in the morning and I'm sorta sleepy, soo...yeah, no teasing words.

You all know the warnings. If not, you can tread backwards.

Oh, a bit of a tearjerker here. Sorry, but it's not that bad.

Okay, seeing double. Post and SLEEEEEEP!

Thanks for everyone who's reviewed my work! I hope I managed to answer any and all questions! If not, you can always PM me. :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lap 5:<span>**

_Keep it in Neutral_

_a.k.a._

_My dad's alive and he's still…himself._

"You utter prat! You should have told me and saved us this nonsense!"

He was smiling as he said it, hands slapping the cooling chest of his boyfriend looking up at him in the golden halo of light upon the ceiling. His hair had grown out of that bowl cut and now resembled something shaggy and slicked with gel and sweat, falling haphazardly into his green eyes sparkling with mirth and seriousness. Vert flicked a bit out of those eyes, hands resting on a red and warm cheek leaning into his touch. He'd long stopped breathing harshly, complacent to be where he was seated aside him, a thin sheet around his waist and just below the tender flesh where his new tattoo resided. Vert's hand was a tad below that, squeezing lightly in play.

They had been talking for over an hour now, and the subject of his father had been the topic of choice. It wasn't until the subject died with Vert's lips closed around Stanford did they stop, gazing at one another as if it would all fall apart if someone spoke.

It didn't, not when Stanford slapped his chest again and laid himself down aside him. "Jeez, Vert…everyone gets hung up about things," he said softly. "You should have said something. I would have understood."

"I know…but I don't really like talking about it," Vert murmured. "He just…we, never really got along too well, you know?" It was the story of his life. If it wasn't for their mutual love of cars, he was sure that they wouldn't have much of anything to say to one another. He turned his head to lean against Stanford's, sighing a bit as the bed cradled their weight as if they always been there. He could get used to this…which was scary on its own. "When he vanished…I always wished things were different. You know?"

"Not really…but I suppose it's not like my relationship with my brother," Stanford mused. "I wish the jerk would just stop trying to one-up me and that I would stop trying to one-up him…because it gets tiresome. Boring. And losing to him is the worst feeling…but I know if he were gone tomorrow, then I'd better understand what you're getting at."

Vert kissed his forehead, grateful for some honesty. "It's all right. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

"Hmm…I would give you Simon, but you'd kill him and I don't fancy being one of those blokes hiding their boyfriend under the bed." He hummed a laugh, kissing Vert's jaw. "I can't believe some of the stuff people are willing to do."

"So I'm your boyfriend?"

"You better bloody well be, because only my boyfriend gets to see just where that tattoo is…and do what he did about an hour ago."

"You mean this?"

He let out a whooshing laugh that settled into a contented hum as lips met. Vert settled between his legs, arms slipping under the slim body molding itself to him and further messing up those blonde locks that had given up on being styled in any form. If someone were to walk on them, they might have thought one thing. It certainly looked like it, being twined as they were. However, two pairs of boxers doing nothing to hide their arousal kept them from breeching that barrier, which was fine with them. Of course that didn't mean he was above slipping his hands into those silk things, or drawing another moan from those kiss swollen lips as he repeated their earlier motions.

They had time to get to the actual "sex" part. Time he'd rather spend thinking about his newly dubbed boyfriend and not his missing presumably dead father.

Stanford proceeded to wipe all thoughts of melancholy from his mind, and replaced it with images of himself, moaning hotly into Vert's ear and killing all thought of leaving that room for anything less than a shower and food.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Four Days Later:<em>**

It was just a routine run. They'd been in the zone before, the one with the gears from hell that made him wonder if father time was playing a joke on everyone. Some red Sark had shown up and it was their job to keep the battle zones that they had the keys too free and clear of meddling machines and Red Sentient alike. It wasn't like they hadn't done it before, but something had been odd that morning coming into this zone. An off feeling.

Vert was used to those amounting to traps and whatnot, but he wasn't used to it amounting to the vibrant shock of not breathing when he stopped to see just what was hidden in the shadows. Someone had blown that gear off. It wasn't Tangler and it wasn't Chopper. The Buster had been clear on the other side at the time so it wasn't them, and the Reverb was in front. It had to be someone else.

"Vert?"

He knew that car sitting in the shadows. It hadn't changed since it vanished into the salt flats all those years ago. He knew it, and it meant one significant thing. Heart in his throat, he rushed back to his team, pushing past Stanford who was calling for him. Someone was walking from behind some gears, fist raised with a pipe in hand. The wild look in his eyes was one of a man who had not seen civilization in quite some time, kind of like Tezz, but with a lot less discomfort and malice.

He was staring into his face when it was over forty, graying, and hadn't seen a good cloth in a couple of days.

"Dad? You're alive?"

If the world was flat like people once believed, he'd have been at the very edge and tumbling down until he felt nothing at all.

Those eyes lit up, and then he was hugging the life out of him. He didn't know what to think or feel. He did hug him back, throwing a helpless look back at Stanford still trying to take it all in. Stanford shrugged, shaking his head. Spinner's idea about it being a sentient mind trick was much more believable than watching this man pull away from him and taking in the changes. Did he honestly believe he wouldn't change? It had been YEARS…and he'd been here this whole time?

Vert couldn't quite fathom HOW his father managed to jump from being happy to see him to asking about what was powering his Car. His CAR of all things! The man had a one track mind. They went from semi happy reunions to arguing in moments. It was so like them, and so like his father to jump into the situation without thinking about what he was doing. He knew best. Fathers knew best. Sons learn from their fathers. Well he wasn't around…so he'd learned a lot on his own, and told him so as he walked away trying to keep his calm.

"No Sentient mind trick could be that good," Spinner had muttered.

Agura put her hand to her hip, her slight dislike of the older Wheeler a bit evident in her gaze. "Mmm-hmm…that's Vert's dad."

And then those stupid Sark had to attack! He told his father to hop into the Reverb with Stanford. No matter how much they had their differences, he didn't want to lose him again. However, the look he gave him and Stanford was questionable, even when he said, "No thanks. I don't make a good passenger." It was believable, knowing him like he did, but Vert couldn't keep his hackles down all the way as his father hopped into his car and drove off, antagonizing those things without treaded tires!

His father was insane. He had to have been.

It was the only way he could believe that his father would get knocked over the ledge of that gear, fall, be rescued by him moments later, and then ask how his car was.

Oh, and let's not forget about the part where he complimented Vert on his team and wouldn't mind if they were on his pit crew!

_Seriously?_

Yes. Seriously.

Vert wanted to rub his temples, hold his head, and just moan about how life is just one fucked up ball of strange. Instead he stood there, aware of Stanford at his back, touching his shoulder a bit as they looked on at the crazed older Wheeler not wanting to go home right away. Unfinished business…

And how was he to know that it was something rather large?

It was probably the only reason he didn't knock his father over the head and drag him back to earth.

At the end of it all, he had every reason to hate Krytus more than he could hate anyone, and he didn't hate just anyone. It wasn't in his nature. He still didn't have time to process just how close he'd come to getting his insane father back when they found the tracer on him at a cellular level. After their death defying adventures, blowing up a Red Mobi, realizing his dad wasn't as insane as he seemed, and racing by his father again…seeing him walk off resigned to his fate of being trapped here tore something out of him.

Vert watched his father go; wondering what would happen to him.

What he wasn't expecting was to see his father look at Stanford and nod backwards toward him. "Take care of my boy," he'd muttered softly. "He's all I got left to come home to."

Vert hadn't felt much after that. He remembered holding his face…and then someone hugging him.

Stanford.

* * *

><p>"Wait, old man Jack is alive?" A.J. cried. "Are you for-seriously-real?"<p>

Sherman nodded and sat down aside the stunned Canadian. They had only gotten back an hour ago, long enough to turn their vehicles in for repair and pull themselves out of their stunned moods. Stanford had leapt from his own car, rushing over to the other side of it to gently extract Vert from the passenger side. The poor guy was so out of it that Spinner had to drive the Saber back. Vert hadn't even put up a fight, which concerned them more than anything. Stanford with some help from Agura managed to get Vert to his room. Stanford had taken over from there, and from what they could hear, Vert had started sobbing long and loud.

They weren't used to seeing him cry, or hearing it. He was their leader, the one who came through on all his calls. However, seeing him torn up like this and at a loss reminded them that he, too, was human, and anyone in that situation would have done the same, or worse.

Sherman had gone to find A.J. as soon as he was able to. He was sure the Canadian would want to know.

He was right. For the first time A.J. sat raptly, listening to Sherman relay the tale from beginning to end. Once he was done, he wasn't surprised to see A.J. wipe his face, or to see him sink back trying not to cry as hard as Vert had been. Sherman had gathered that the two were rather close buds, so much so that blood didn't matter. A.J. felt Vert's pain and it rocked him in a way that an avalanche couldn't.

"Y-you know…it makes sense now," A.J. said with a slight sniff. "If anything, Jack Wheeler didn't just up and run off for no reason. If how Vert says his adventure started was indeed the truth, I'm willing to bet that his old man does know more about the Multiverse than he let on."

Sherman had thought that. He'd come across many things in the Archives, including the evolution of the Multiverse and how the roads the traveled now were once tracks. It would not have been much of a surprise to find out that Jack Wheeler had been around when the Multiverse was being developed. There were hidden files that could only be accessed by Sage, and someone else. Someone that wasn't Krytus or Sol.

He might have wondered a little more about it if A.J. hadn't plopped so heavily against him. He was drifting again.

"Man, I hate being tired like this," he whined softly. "I want to be up…I want to be with you…"

"But you are here with me."

"It's not the same, bro…and I'm tired of dreaming about you in the snow…and not being able to touch either one like I want to."

Sherman smiled down at that hunk of blonde, kissing the top of his head tenderly. Sometimes A.J. just couldn't take the heat, but his heart had to be the warmest thing on the planet.

"Sherman…"

He said something softly in Spanish that had A.J. humming in content.

_"__Un día… mi amor… un día__."_

* * *

><p>"So how not cool was today?" Spinner asked.<p>

"Way not cool," Zoom murmured. "Like…extreme Epic FAIL not cool."

He and Spinner were hanging around in the Hub, Sage quiet and surveying the zones in the background. After being told what happened, Tezz was immediately on the problem of trying to disable that tracking device in Vert's father. After all the blonde had done for him, it was the least he could do to try and make the impossible happen. He didn't think he'd be able to come home once. Jack Wheeler should have that liberty as well, no matter how much they butted heads. That's what fathers and sons did and would continue to do for all time.

Agura couldn't have been prouder of Tezz. She'd kissed him long and hard, leaving him brainless for 22.5895 seconds. Spinner and Zoom just looked at them. It was like one moment they were in separate places, and now here they were, kissing one another as if they'd always done so. Spinner just took it as another change in the ever changing world of their weird hectic lives. Zoom, on the other hand, took it as an opportunity to snap a photo of rare moments in his life. He was not going to catch that goofy look on Tezz's face more than once with such clarity.

Now, with Agura making a Za run and Tezz emersed in his projects—one of them being that little detail for Stanford's issue with the planet Vandal—they found there was little or nothing for them to do. They still couldn't wrap their minds around today. How weird was it, knowing that Vert's father was in the Multiverse this entire time?

"Man, I'd flip out if it were my old man," Zoom said. "Vert was really cool about it."

"Nah man, he was twitching something fierce," Spinner said. He put his diagnostics pad down and swiveled around to face Zoom. "He's good at being the neutral party, but I know when someone's twitching. Sherman is famous for it, and he's the brawn. Can you imagine having to watch your little brother hold back most of his life because of his size? It was terrible! I mean, if he would have swung at half the bastards that teased him…"

"What?"

"…well, they'd probably be in the ground…and then I wouldn't have had the opportunity of getting the last word."

Zoom could believe that much. He'd grown to know that Spinner—while a bit spastic and a verified germaphobe not to mention shy of being oblivious at certain times—was a devious teen with a height deficiency made up for by his hacking skills and his ability to tear apart programs like they were blocks. He was sure that the shorter Cortez, while older by moments, could come up with some nasty things to do to people. He was very protective of his twin brother.

Lately he didn't have to worry as much with A.J. around. A.J. had taken on that role of protector as well as boyfriend with a tight fist. Zoom still couldn't figure out how that happened either. It was like Tezz and Agura. One moment they weren't and the next they were.

"Dude, how did your brother end up with A.J. anyhow?"

Spinner rubbed the back of his head in thought. "You know what…I couldn't tell you. I do know that it started back in the Yukon…and that's about it."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"What? That Sherman is dating a guy; that the guy is A.J. Dalton, Vert's best friend as a kid and known sports extremist worldwide, or that I'm still single and my brother isn't?"

"How about all three?"

"Dude…I wouldn't be human if it didn't bother me a bit." He picked up his pad again, running the queries one more time for safety's sake. "But my brother's happy…and that's all that matters. My old man would probably say differently, but he's in New Mexico and we're here."

Zoom placed his wrench down to wipe his hands clean. "So do you think Vert's Pop knows about him and Stanford?"

"If he doesn't," Tezz said from where he'd been listening in silence, "then that whole line about him taking care of Vert was moot."

"He said that? How do you know? Were you patched in when we were in the Zone?"

"No. Agura mentioned it to me. The girl has amazingly good hearing."

Spinner shook his head at Zoom. "Do not test that theory," he warned. "You will be so sorry you tried."

"I won't…but only if Tezz tells me how in the hell he managed to snag the lioness. I still don't get that either."

Tezz smirked to himself. "I was myself…and as strange as that may be, she finds that appealing. If you want details, ask her, because I'm not in the field of putting myself on the endangered species list."

Zoom rolled his eyes and went back to messing with his bike. Nothing around here was normal, which was normal within its own right.

He only hoped that Vert would come back to some semblance of himself soon. As much as it sucked to lose a loved one, they had a war to finish.

* * *

><p>"Jeez, Vert, you look worse than my Aunt Mabel after sitting at the last wedding she was invited to." Stanford looked down at the face blearily looking at nothing, dabbing his eyes now and again with a handkerchief he tended to carry with him. It was more along the lines of ingrained etiquette than chance, and he was glad for it as he wiped away those tears from that reddened face. "You know, we try not to invite her to too many functions," he remarked. "She cries at just about anything. She even cried at my Cousin Rita's recital, and it was happy music! Happy! That woman is truly out of her mind…her nose is always in her hands with a tissue. I don't recommend greeting her with a kiss…you'll come away sticky."<p>

Ah. There was the slight twist of lips he'd been looking for. It had taken him about two hours, but it was worth the warmth blossoming in his chest seeing some of Vert come back to himself. In the year and some months he'd known the blonde, he'd never seen him destroyed like this. He had his ups and downs like the rest of them, and not even a couple of days ago he was in the middle of a down with him…space being the issue. Regardless, today had been an ironic harsh blow of proportions Stanford couldn't contemplate happening to himself without losing what little mind he had left at the end of it all. Had it been him, he might have still been sobbing, clawing at the bed screaming about how unfair life could be with some choice words thrown in there.

Vert had done that, but it hadn't lasted that long. He wasn't that dramatic, but he was hurting all the same. He'd dozed in the midst of his downpour, head settled against Stanford's waist and snoring something awful with his clogged up nose. He couldn't have been more handsome, and more real.

Stanford squeezed Vert's nose a bit, urging the blonde to blow his nose. He did so, coughing a bit as he wiped at his eyes trying to dry themselves out. "Easy luv, take it easy," Stanford soothed. "Take all the time you need…I'm fine with a numb hip and a sleeping foot. Really."

Vert cracked another weak smile. He moved his arms, allowing Stanford to scoot down to lie on the bed aside him, arms wrapping themselves around his middle and holding him close again. He closed his eyes, grateful for the secure scent of tea and bread, the soft musk of an adrenaline sweat, and the gentle faded cologne that Stanford had taken to wearing. He buried his face against the shoulder closest to him, wanting nothing more than sleep to claim him for a few hours.

"You know what…makes this…somewhat messed up?" he asked, his voice throaty from his hiccupping sobs. Stanford looked at him, question dancing in those eyes. Vert wanted to grin, but he couldn't quite make it jovial. It was dry and bitter-sweet, faltering the longer he thought about it. "My dad's alive…" He swallowed, another sob coming from him mixed with a bit of hysterical laughter. He sounded like a drowning cat trying not to cough up the hairball in its throat. "M-my Dad's alive…and he's still…**himself**."

"Vert…"

"His car! H-he was asking about his car…after he…almost fucking **died**…my old man did have a one track mind…"

Stanford leaned over and kissed the side of his head. "I know, love…but he did say he was proud of you. It's a lot more than my old man would do…or my uncle. Did you know that the bastard had the audacity to imply that I am not a musical genius? He's a right prick that one, who can't hold a job to save his drunken life. I didn't believe people could look sober and be so drunk until I spent the day with that fool…trust me Vert, I'd fancy your dad being a little bit insane than to deal with my oddball bunch."

"Perhaps…but he did do something else right…"

"Really? And what was that?"

Vert made himself comfortable. Sleep was coming hard and fast. He could barely hold on, but he managed to mumble something that had the Brit kissing him as sleep crashed into him. He fell, warm, secure, and determined to make sure that this war was over sooner than later.

_He told you to take care of me…_

He gently traced the soft reddened cheeks with his fingers, something more than tears shining in his eyes. "I will do my best to honor that," Stanford whispered. "I promise…I'll do my very best and nothing less."

* * *

><p>All right! I'm sleepy now. Next update soon!<p> 


	6. Sixth Lap

_Howdy! I know I just posted the last chapter not too long ago, I felt like sharing again since the chapter after this needs a bit of work and probably won't be up until next weekend. And the chapters after that...well, lets just say that things are going to get raunchy._

**Vert:** *jumps for joy* There is a god!

_All right, I get it! Jeez, make it more obvious._

_I also wanted to post it cause I like making **InvaderLuver**'s Brain short circuit. *eg*_

_I got some interesting comments I wanna respond to as well:_

_Slyfan4 - Thanks for the awesome words! Yeah, Spinner's still single, but I haven't thought of a character to pair him with yet. A boyfriend? I never thought about giving him one, but that would be kind of cute, especially if he didn't know he was being hit on..._

_Oh look, another plot bunny! Stanford's going to smother this one to death._

**Stanford:** *grabs the bunny and hugs it to death* So cute!

**Me:** Duh!

_StOrmChIcK - I see you agree with slyfan4! Okay! But...Simon? Okay, Stanford would beat him to death...and then me. But that does inspire another plot bunny...which I thank you and blame you for. ^-^_

_*picks up the snickering plot bunny and sighs* I knew my brain was going to go places it shouldn't. Ah well._

_Read on people. Read on!_

_Oh, BTW: I added a surprise! :)  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lap 6:<span>**

_Sidewinder_

_a.k.a_

_Why you don't mess with a Canadian who knows Cajun and is in LOVE_

"Oh sweet AC…may you never be far…"

The look on A.J. Dalton's face as he entered the mall was a look of rapture, a look that was caught on Zoom's camera and laughed at by their little group. He couldn't have cared less. A man from the regions of snow and ice was and would never get accustomed to hot areas like the Salt Flats. The heat sucked the life out of him, and he hated it more than anything. Being here for these few short months had helped him, but he still yearned for cold areas, feeling more comfortable when there was a reason to shiver. His room was a virtual icebox. There was hardly anyone who went in there as a result…except one.

Sherman, standing a whole six inches higher than himself grinned down at him. He was used to his antics and his lust for anything and everything cold. The only warm thing in his life he didn't mind holding onto was Sherman, and the bigger Hispanic of the twosome known as the Cortez brothers was big on warmth. It was about eighty percent of who he was, with the rest amounting to his virtual genius.

"You can't still be heat resistant," Vert laughed. "You've been here long enough."

"True, but that doesn't mean I don't crave a cold environment," A.J. replied. "It's almost like taking a Polar Bear out of its natural environment. It'll adapt, but that doesn't mean it won't search for a place similar to its habitat. It was built for the ice."

"Which makes throwing you into the ice driven battle zones so much easier," Stanford said. "You can totally have those all to yourself."

"Sweet! Hey everyone's still coming up to the lodge for Christmas, right?"

"I still haven't heard back from my folks," Agura said. "It is a few months away so I'm pretty sure I can go."

"I'm not bound by those predicaments, so I am definitely going," Tezz said. "It reminds me of home…except it doesn't smell of Uncle Boris and his Cigars."

"Then your uncle and our old man would have something in common," Spinner muttered. "I hate the smell of those things."

"Your father...you speak of him with some disdain in your voice. Did something happen to cause this…rift you seem to have?"

Spinner shrugged and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Nothing major. We just don't see eye to eye on a lot of things."

"That seems to be the case with most paternal people and their offspring."

"It shouldn't be. Oh, hey look! Check it out!"

Spinner trotted ahead of them to come to a dead stop in front of their destination. This afternoon's practice had ended early, and with nothing coming from either side, Vert decided it was high time that they went and had a little fun at the arcade. Zoom would have gone, had he not made plans with Grace. The rest of the team had agreed, though Spinner was a lot more ecstatic than the rest. There was a tournament going on for one of the latest first person shooter games. First prize was a check for five thousand dollars as well as getting ten games of the winner's choosing no matter if they were out or on reserve. It was a dream comes true for a gamer. Spinner was no exception.

"Have you even played this?" Agura asked Spinner. "Dead City 4? Looks kind of hard…"

The smaller Cortez eyed her sideways. "I've played it, beaten it on every level, and unlocked the unlockable…this makes Halo look like something V-tech cooked up." He scoffed a little, eyeing the competition that ran ahead of him to the sign-up table. "I'm sure they'll have some type of handicap to make it fair for everyone…which blows, but I'm up for it."

"You want us to stay?" Vert asked. "You know, for moral support?"

"For the finals, sure. Right now, go do what you want. Events like this usually take an hour or so to sort themselves out before getting interesting. I'll be all right."

"Someone seems sure of themselves."

"I usually am. I'm not the gaming king for kicks. It does help in the battle zones, and its good practice."

"You're not fooling anyone," Sherman laughed. "You want your choice of games!"

Spinner clapped his brother on his lower back. "You know me well. All right, gang way! Gaming King is coming through!"

"You know what, I think I'm going to go in there and brush up on my DDR skills," Stanford mused. "It's been a little while since I've played a good round of it."

"Ooh! You play DDR? You wanna play me?" Agura asked excitedly. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Whoa! Vert—"

Vert yanked him back briefly and laid a firm kiss on his lips. "Have fun, Babe."

"Will do! Whoa, Agura slow down!"

The girl had him halfway into the arcade before the others could blink. Vert nudged Tezz in his side. "You've definitely have a ball of energy on your hands." Tezz couldn't disagree. He liked to think of Agura as the missing part of an equation he had almost given up on: life. He'd forgotten how much fun people could be, and how it was pleasant not to have to be the obvious brains of the operation. Sherman had the other half of that covered, and he could learn a thing or two about not over thinking a situation.

As it stood, Sherman gave A.J.'s hand a squeeze and walked into the Arcade after his brother. Spinner was already at his station, stretching his fingers and making the other players a tad nervous.

"He's so…going to dominate," Vert smirked.

"And we're so checking out the rest of this place," A.J. said. "Come on you two. It's high time we had some time to ourselves."

The three of them never truly hung out. Yes, they fought together and lived with one another, but more or less all their interactions were group related. Vert knew A.J from his time as a child, but there was still more about the grown teen that he didn't know. A lot of time had passed, and while they had then, this was now. Tezz, on the other hand, had not grown up with them. While they knew that he was an irrevocable genius doomed to die knowing it, there wasn't much more that they knew about him, aside that his people skills were still somewhat lacking. He still had some ways to go, especially when he flinched at the oncoming crowd of people headed in their direction.

A.J. took him by the shoulders and steered him and Vert in another direction. "No worries, bruh," he said, "No anxiety attacks today."

Tezz ran a hand over his face. "I did not think it was that obvious."

"Oh, it's obvious. We just don't say anything."

"Why would you not point out my flaw and attempt to correct it? I have a habit of doing that to you…"

"And while I understand that, it's not going to change me. The thing about people you haven't quite noticed is that they aren't going to change based on one person's or many people's opinion on them. Sometimes the behavior is learned. Other times it's ingrained. It's like those beasts you like to study from Vandal every now and again. Every one of them have a different trait that makes it unique. You, my friend, have the brains most people wish they were lucky enough to have."

"Trust me, it is not a gift…" Tezz sat down at the table AJ had directed them to. It was getting close to three, and they hadn't really eaten just yet. Vert sat opposite him, and AJ remained standing with his hand on Tezz's shoulders. "Sometimes, it's more of a burden because you can't relate to the normal things."

"Well bud, that's why you have friends." Vert chuckled and ruffled Tezz's head playfully. "Friends round out your personality, and provide you with different views of the world. Look at AJ. He's an extremist and one of the best sports athletes I know…but I also know that he's kind of wise for his age. I've learned a lot from this guy…and I've learned a lot from everyone, just like I've learned from you."

Tezz looked at him in amazement. "You've…learned from me?"

"Oh yeah. I've learned lots…like how I'm about to learn how you and Agura finally got together, and how THIS ONE," he said pointing at a blushing but grinning AJ, "managed to snag Sherman before I got the nerve to ask Stanford out!"

AJ laughed and sat himself down. Vert always cut to the chase. That was the thing he liked about him the most. "Since you asked so nicely." He made himself comfortable, leaning on his hands as he thought back to how he managed to "snag" the one and only Sherman Cortez.

"You know…it started back when you came to get me…I remember dropping my helmet…and my jaw, but not because the Mobi had popped out of nowhere…"

* * *

><p><em>Now I know my good friend had been up to some strange things, one of them being moved to Handler's Corner a few years back, but the large tale he was telling me was just utter nonsense. Aliens? Multiverse? I couldn't make sense of it…but he needed my help, and Vert Wheeler usually doesn't ask anyone for help. It seems that had changed about it him, as well as his status. When that vehicle appeared out of nowhere, I thought I would drop more than my jaw and my helmet, that's for sure. <em>

_There was nothing normal about a vehicle as large as that one just "appearing" because of a sun-glare. I wanted to blame it on that, but it was too real, too hard not to believe, and the people standing inside of it were smiling at me like they shared some secret. I didn't know it was the look on my face. Theirs had been the same way when they were introduced to their mission of saving the Multiverse._

_Me? I'm just a sports guy with a mild case of ADHD. The best way to channel that short attentiveness was through whatever interested me the most, which happened to be a mixture of Survival and study of Terrains. Of course, there was my love of Sports, which made it quite easy to get to the top of any sport I decided to participate in. One might call it natural talent. I called it trying to keep from spastic. _

_Getting hit with this…whoa. Just…whoa._

_"So, you're serious?" I asked._

_"So serious." Vert didn't do joking when it came to something he respected. I remember that much about him, and often it mingled with his passion for cars or anything fast. "I could really use your help AJ."_

_"Sure!" What else could I say? I'd do anything for a man that duck-taped his snowmobile to mine just to see what would happen. "You just tell me what I need to do."_

_"Actually…I think I'll let Sherman do that."_

_Sherman? _

_Anyone would have thought that Sherman was a set up for some slim guy who should have been named Poindexter. I didn't see anyone like that. Who I would later know as Tezz did not fit that bill, and was not someone I would name Sherman. His spirit was silent but electric, like you knew he was there but didn't want to mess with him in the wrong way. He wasn't a people person, but that could change. I smiled at him anyway, and I don't think he knew what to do._

_Sherman stepped into the limelight._

_My jaw unhinged itself all over._

_Now, I know I'm built from all my terrain quests, but this guy was about six feet of built caramel that could ooze over my vanilla anytime. He was handsome, a slight half smile that just lit up the features of his face. A strong chin, slender but defined nose, and a chest I could eat a buffet off of...he had to be straight._

_I stuck my tongue back in my mouth._

* * *

><p>"It's logical to believe that," Tezz said as he sipped at his drink. "But I'm learning that not everyone can be judged by their cover."<p>

"Oh man, I thought I would just lose it," AJ laughed. "Here I am, on a mission that makes no sense and doing something I haven't done in a few weeks…and that would have been fine. But no…I have to see this tall broad hunk of man every day as well? What was I thinking?"

"That you're really attracted to him?" Vert teased.

"That was the understatement of the century. You know me bro, if I wanted him…I could have had him."

"That's for sure. I thought Stanford would have been first in line."

"Please! The red-head was all over you…and he thought I was crazy!"

"Still does."

"Not denying it."

"So, how does your wanting him help you to get Sherman as your boyfriend?" Tezz asked. "If I recall, you said if you wanted him, you could have had him. Did you not want him?"

"Oh I wanted him…bad," AJ admitted. "Just…not the way I was used to feeling."

* * *

><p><em>I hadn't been around him for a day…and I thought I was going to lose my mind.<em>

_Sherman was in a word, awesome. Not like awesome as in, "Yeah! Foodage for my growing belly!" because, you know, that's always awesome. No, I mean awesome as in seeing one of the rare wonders of the world up close. I was starting to wonder if this dude was one, because aside Vert, there wasn't many people who could keep up with me._

_At the end of the mission, I took the team to the Luge track. Of course I had to get Stanford on it. Nice enough guy, and I could see that Vert was crushing on him even if he didn't realize it. Watching him mess up that landing was gold, but we got him back up and took him through it again._

_By the time dinner time was around the bend, Agura and Zoom had long decided that enough was enough. They didn't like the cold like I did, and that was fine. I was sure that going back to the Hub, I was going to be the same way about the heat. I wasn't looking forward to it. Vert and Stanford went down a few more times, this time Vert sticking the landing and catching Stanford when he tripped at the last moment. I wish I had my camera. It was almost sweet. They went in when Stanford sneezed._

_I wanted to get one more run in. I had a feeling it would be a while before I came back to my beloved Yukon. I trekked back up to the start._

_Sherman was waiting for me, grinning my way._

_"You want to go one more time, right?" I nodded stupidly. "Totally understandable. Mind If I go with?"_

_I sure as hell didn't mind. I grinned at him, glad for the company. "Yo, where's your bro?"_

_Sherman pointed to the lodge. "He ducked inside a while back. Said something about getting toasty with the Chocolate. He's weird like that."_

_ Sounded like my type of eating buddy. "S'alright. Shall we go?"_

_The way he lit up completely stunned me. He let out a loud shout worthy of my own, and was gone. I couldn't just stand there. There was no way. I launched myself before I knew it and I was flying, the skies, the ice, the forest passing me by in a haze. _

_I came to the end of the track, landing like I always did. _

_A snowball hit me in the face._

_Sherman laughed and ran away. Of course I wasn't going to let him get away with it. I grabbed my gear and some snow on the way, and pelted him in the back before he could get far._

_I think we spent a good fifteen minutes chucking snowballs at each other. I'm not sure. I was too wrapped up in watching the snow fly in short bursts as it exploded against him. He smiled each time. There was glint in his eye, a fire all his own when he grabbed another snowball and pitched it at me. The guy had an arm on him. I wasn't prepared for the one snowball, the last one, to chop me right in my face. I went down like a ton of bricks, staring up into the evening sky with Sherman's face peering into mine a moment later._

_I think I muttered something in French. It's not that often I speak it around strangers, not knowing how they would feel about it. I don't really know what I said, but I remember his cheeks being redder than ever._

_When my eyes stopped spinning, he helped me up to my feet. I'm not a fan of the heat. I'm really not. Yet, I found myself never wanting to let my hand slip from his. It was absurd! No one had ever made me feel this strangely, not even some of the hotter guys who came around my way looking for a fast ride. I was no stranger to sex. I didn't do it often enough to make me promiscuous, but I knew what I wanted and how to get it. Sometimes people came to me looking for that ride, and I've had to turn them down. Of those people I slept with, I usually had some type of bond with them._

_This…this was something beyond a bond. It was scary too. I had only met the guy a few hours ago._

_Why in the hell was a ready to do anything to make him smile like that some more?_

_"You all right?"_

_"Yeah…I've taken harder hits," I joked. "Vert can tell you. I'm not fragile."_

_"I didn't think you were. You've got to be built to do half of what you do." He motioned to the Luge track. "That's no joke. What else do you do?"_

_Aw man. He'd opened the door and being the positive guy I am, I leaned into it and started talking about it all. How I did Luge from time to time, snowmobile racing, Speed Ice Skating…whatever season it was, I was doing some sport involved in it. Most guys tend to tune out my over enthusiasm and just smile and nod, or try to kiss me. Sherman did none of those. He engaged in the conversation, adding his two cents in and asking questions when he didn't understand something. I was genuinely pleased, and quite intrigued at the amount of knowledge in that head of his. We talked until we got to the lodge. Spinner popped out and asked us what took us so long._

_I kept the crass remark to myself. They didn't know me that well. The knowing look on Vert's face just made it harder not to say something, and I punched him in the shoulder._

_We stayed up until about ten, at which everyone had gone to bed. I stayed up to clean up a bit and to make myself a nice cup of hot cocoa. While I'm not a fan of the heat, there's no better feeling than a hot cup of rich chocolate before settling down for the night in the Yukon. I had just pulled out the materials and was ready to make it when Sherman came into view._

_I nearly dropped the milk._

_It was bad enough that I was attracted to a possible and almost certain straight man, but him coming down in his sleepwear with his upper shirt unbuttoned was just not fair. At all. I shook my head and I realized that he'd asked me something. Something about a cup. My voice didn't want to work just then, so I pointed to an extra mug. He'd nodded, and there was that smile again. I was falling really hard for that damn smile._

_I made him and myself some cocoa, and I had the pleasure of hearing him moan in delight. I do make a mean cup of cocoa if I do say so myself. I didn't add the cayenne pepper this time, but I had a feeling he'd like it if I did. We walked back out to the main room. I sat down in front of the fire. I meant to douse the thing, but it was too nice of a night to just put it out without really enjoying it. I really wasn't expecting Sherman to sit down next to me, or to bring the throw with him. He sat down with his mug in hand, the throw covering our shoulders. I turned my head to say something…_

_His lips were covering mine._

_Heaven was real._

* * *

><p>"I would go into the gory details," AJ said, "but that's for my brain and my brain alone."<p>

"No way…Sherman made the first move?" Vert cried. "Unreal."

Tezz was agreeing with a nod that didn't end until he stuffed the last of his burger in his mouth. "Mmm. You learn something new every day. I never would have imagined that."

"Well, to tell you the truth, it was an honest to god accident…" AJ admitted. "But, I wasn't about to say so, and I just wound up kissing him again anyhow. The real kicker is that we. Have. Not. Done. It."

Vert almost dropped his soda. "No way. I don't believe you!"

"'Fraid so bruh. Have not gone down that path…at all. And I don't mind."

"Dude…you really must love him…"

"I concur. If what you've said is accurate, then you have to have more than simple affection for him," Tezz said. "There is no other logical choice."

AJ smiled at them. He couldn't disagree. It had been a few months since that day, and he knew for sure that he would do anything and everything for the team he rode by. Most of all, he'd go over the edge for Sherman and come back with hell behind him if it was for Sherman. He'd never felt anything this strongly for anyone, not even his first crush sitting across from him. Vert was indeed the man to follow, but Sherman…

"Oh my god, there you guys are!"

The trio stood up as Stanford and Agura came running for them. "What's the matter?" Vert asked. "Did something happen?"

"Something's about to happen if we don't diffuse the situation!" Stanford exclaimed. "Come on!"

"Dude, where's Sherman?" AJ asked.

"He's part of the situation!" Agura cried. "Some guys came running up on Spinner accusing him of cheating. He wasn't, because we were watching! Anyhow, they came running up on him, Sherman stepped in, and then all hell was breaking loose—AJ!"

Her cries for him went over his head. His adrenaline was pumping, and he couldn't see more than what his worst fears envisioned when she'd said Sherman and Spinner were being attacked. There was nothing more annoying than someone falsely accusing anyone of cheating. Yet, there was something quite infuriating, maddening to the point of seeing nothing but red, knowing that someone he cared about was about to be hurt because someone couldn't handle losing. It wasn't far from where they had been, but it felt like it. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the weight of being too late hard on his shoulders and pushing him to move like never before. The others were left to run after him, screaming for him to wait.

He couldn't. Every second he stood there might mean Sherman getting hurt…

The crowd was visible after a solid moment of running nonstop at top speed. He didn't stop to take a breath, diving into the throng of people that gathered and shoving them to the left and right of him. Soon enough they thought it better to move than be moved, which was fine with him. They parted the way, and he rushed forward with Spinner's name on his tongue when he saw the smaller Cortez brother on the floor holding his arm. He helped him up as best he could, but it was more than apparent that he'd really hurt his hand.

"Dude, I'm fine," Spinner groaned, "But I'm more worried about Sherman! Please help him!"

Someone cried out in pain. AJ bounced off of his feet, darting forward without thinking about what he was doing. He'd only heard it, but he knew that cry. He'd dreaded it the first time he'd heard it on the field and hated it more and more whenever it was forced out of the one he'd come to love. The Vandals couldn't quite understand why the Gearslammer went nuts when that happened, nor could the Sark. The Reds had learned not to even try, although he doubted they knew why either. AJ was a force to be reckoned with when he was angry. He was beyond that point when he found Sherman.

Sherman was hunched over one of the consoles, his hands flying to his back, pain in his eyes and a loud moan of protest on his lips. Someone a little bigger than him was behind him, a chair in hand and a look of sheer malice on his face as he lifted the chair to do more damage than he had. The chair was around his shoulder, poised and ready to be launched.

He never saw AJ coming.

Spinner reeled back. "Oh holy crap!"

It was over long before it started, and AJ was standing over the brute, cracking his fists repeatedly as the jerk opened his eyes to see why the world had spun so violently. He hadn't done much, but it was enough to keep the rest of his little posse off of the Canadian. "You're LUCKY that's ALL I did," he spat. He kicked him in his gut and knocked the wind out of his chest. "I don't care what your problem is! You hurt him, you answer to me!"

Vert and the others popped in just as AJ had slammed the guy into some nearby tables set up for the tournament. They watched in complete awe as he singlehandedly stopped the fight with no more than a pile-drive that upset everyone, especially the man that had been trying to smack Sherman with a chair. The man held his chest and rolled over, deciding it was best to crawl away before AJ could really cut loose. Wheezing, the man scrambled to get out of the way of AJ's boot.

AJ wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He was back on Sherman, running over to grab him as he slid down to the floor holding his back. "Oh god…Sherman? _Chéri_, tell me where it hurts!"

"That asshole smacked me in my back…" Sherman gasped. "I wasn't looking…"

"Come on…calm down…just breathe…inhale….exhale…"

Sherman gave him a sly but pained smile in-between gasps. "Are…you telling me…or coaching yourself?"

"A little of both… _Parce que je ne veux vraiment pas à battre que les trous du cul visage po je vais aller en prison."_

_"__Ah…_don't_."_

"Tch. Fine. Now do me a favor…shut up and breathe."

He would have shoved his face if he wasn't holding his back as it was. The pain was dulling itself, but he knew a bruised kidney anywhere. It meant trips to the bathroom were going to suck. The look on AJ's face told Sherman that he had a hunch about what he was thinking, and he couldn't keep a shrug to himself. AJ's face faltered; crumbling to outright concern even when the crowd was broken up by the mall security.

"This is not how I meant to spend the afternoon," Vert murmured.

"Are you kidding?" Spinner chuckled dryly, "Can you imagine if Zoom would have tagged along?"

"Yes, which is why we're getting out of here as soon as this is all cleared up. Ah, dude…what happened to your hand?"

Spinner winced and tried not to move it more than he had to. "I landed on it wrong. I think I sprained it or something…Aaahh! Stanford!"

"No, you broke it," Stanford said. He put Spinner's hand back down. "It's not a bad break…I had one like it a couple of months before I came out here. I'm sure you'll get a cast we can mark up quickly enough."

"Aw man…that sucks…but I'll tell you what sucks even more…"

"That would be?"

"The jerk that got pile-driven by AJ Dalton…and THAT is why you don't mess with a Canadian. Sheesh, did you see what he did? Sherman! This one's a keeper!"

Sherman wasn't really listening. He'd taken to leaning against AJ as Mall Security asked questions and checked them over. "Hey, call EMS!" one of them cried. "This one here took a chair to the back!"

"What about this guy?" another asked. They pointed to the groaning man holding himself up on table he'd already vomited on. "I think this one did the deed…"

"What else?" Spinner spat. "Take him in! My brother was trying to stop the fight, and AJ kept him from getting hit with that chair a second time! My HAND is BROKEN because of that asshole!"

Vert sighed to himself as he watched the commotion unfold. "Definitely not…the way to spend the afternoon…"

* * *

><p>"Whoa! Spinner…what is UP with the Cast?"<p>

Spinner looked up from where he was, staring between his cast and Zoom running over to him. "Eh, it's no big deal." It wasn't now. It was a big deal when his hand was being examined several ways until Tuesday and then slapped in this plaster that itched like crazy. His hand hurt on top of it all. Thankfully there was this nice little thing called pain killers, and they came in nice little pills that he could take every twelve hours. Or course driving was out of the question when he did take them, as was operating the battle system of the buster. Sage had already warned him about doing so. She also had come up with a stasis he could use for a while on his hand when he had to go into the Zone.

Sage was cool. Cool was Sage…

These pills were just a little more awesome than the pizza…

"Dude…are you like…here and accounted for?"

He shook/nodded his head and giggled hysterically at the way Zoom waved his hand in his face. Zoom was awesome for making a kaleidoscope with his hands.

"Zoom, you might want to step away from him," Tezz warned. "He's under the influence of some pain killers…and he's—"

"Whoa! AAH, DUDE!"

"—quite affectionate."

Zoom spun, ineffectively removing Spinner from his back, toppling over and falling face first into the floor. Spinner still clung to him, not feeling a thing. Zoom on the other hand, rubbed his nose in irritation. It was good thing he'd moved his face, otherwise that would be another month of trying to remember to breathe with his mouth. Tezz, smirking, helped the young fighter out, prying Spinner off of his back with the promise of more pizza. Spinner happily bounced up and off, perching himself back at the buster and humming nonsense to himself.

"I would ask what he's on," Zoom muttered, "But I don't want to know."

"Acetaminophen with codine."

"Say what?"

"Tylenol with Codine."

"Ah."

"They didn't take into account his height nor his weight, nor his known intolerance for such medications…I have adjusted the dosage, but it might be another hour or so before he comes back to some sense of his usual self."

Zoom sure hoped so. He wasn't used to Spinner being weirder than usual. "Okay…where's Sherman? Or…is there a story I'm not hearing?"

Tezz nodded, looking up from his datapad. "There is indeed a story. It's quite amusing…and as Spinner said, it's all the more reason not to mess with a Canadian who knows Cajun brawling and is in love."

* * *

><p>"All that padding here is not for show, mon ami," AJ said. "I do a little bit of everything. Just because I lived in the Yukon doesn't mean I don't know about my mama's side of the family. Cajun through and through…and hard to get away from when she is <strong>mad<strong>."

"Your mom is Cajun?" Agura asked.

"Sure enough. The vocabulary is different in some areas, but she speaks between her dialect and my dad's pretty well. I tend to speak it a lot in the house when I visit, or when I'm in the Yukon, but I don't speak it much in front of people who don't know it."

"I know what you mean. My grandmother only speaks Egyptian when she's around family and friends. Anywhere else and she speaks English. She says its bad manners to talk another language in front of someone if they don't understand it…"

"I never did get the hang of it," Vert admitted. "But, then again no words were needed on the ice. Do it big or go home. Defend your turf or give it up." He patted AJ on the shoulders, chest full of pride for the teen he called his friend. "While I don't approve of fighting, you did what you had to…and thank you for NOT breaking his face."

AJ's mirthful laughter rang throughout the room. "Ah. You caught that." It didn't matter now. Had it happened it would have been the jerk's fault and not his own. His motto was to give everyone fair warning, verbal or physical. His hand driving him into the floor by his neck had been warning enough. "You know me, dude."

"Yeah I do…and I'm glad."

He patted him on the back once more and left, grabbing a silent Stanford by the waist. The redhead followed suit, smiling back at the twosome. Agura was the last to leave, giving AJ a thumbs up before the door shut her from view.

AJ looked down at the body aside him, smiling a bit at the head of dark head buried in the stack of pillows beneath it. Sherman was much more peaceful now compared to how he had been hours before. The pain had been so bad, he could barely move. Spinner wasn't doing much better with his broken hand. It was a shame to think that all of this started over something stupid, and ended with two of their own getting hurt trying to stop people from getting hurt. It could have been worse, and for that alone AJ was grateful. Bruised ribs would heal. A broken hand would mend.

He sank down a little, carding his fingers though that short crop of dark hair thoughtfully. Sherman didn't stir. The medication had sure helped to knock him out alongside the cold pack residing on his back. "I told them about how we got together, you know," AJ said softly. "I said it was an accident…but I didn't care. I kissed you back anyhow…because my heart never beat so hard. Not even on the ice…and watching you get hurt today…it just made me realize how lucky I am to have you...and just what I would do to keep you safe, even if you can handle yourself."

Sherman, silent through the exchange, moved his head closer to AJ's hip. "For the record," he murmured tiredly, "It wasn't an accident."

Aj had a feeling it wasn't, but it didn't make it any less special, nor did Sherman's injury as he leaned down and kissed him back into slumber. "_Accident ou non, j'aime toujours vous__._"

_"Te amo demasiado... y que se muevan era increíble."_

He laughed softly and made himself comfortable, soon drifting into his own dreams of a snow ridden beach with Sherman walking down the white sands at his side hand in hand.

* * *

><p>Could you see what I added? There is no proof that AJ has Cajan in him, but I thought it would be awesome to add that little feature. ^-^<p>

**Next chapter:**

_Passing into the Lead_

_Aka_

_The Russians were dangerous for a reason._

See you soon! :)


	7. Seventh Lap

_Oh wow...it's been a hot minute for real._

_I didn't realize it'd been this long! XD Many apologies. I've been involved in some personal issues and updating my Live journal as well, so...it's been strange at best. ^-^_

_Anyone just joining in on the fun, be warned! This is a slash (yaoi) fic! That means boys loving on boys. Go away if it doesn't suit your fancy._

_For anyone tuning in, I have to properly warn you that the coming chapters will get...um...*flustered*...yeah...so...um..._

_We'll just...let you guys see them when I post them later on this month._

_Until then, on with the story!_

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lap 7:<span>**

_Passing into the Lead_

_Aka_

_The Russians were dangerous for a reason._

"Somehow I knew two days of rest would result in this!" Vert muttered. "All right everyone, suit up! Except YOU," he said spinning toward his boyfriend. The Brit blinked twice. "You're not coming on this mission."

It was an old argument, one the Stanford could look upon fondly when he thought about the end of it. Still, it wouldn't be him to just stand there and let Vert say whatever he wanted without proper response. "You could just say that you love me too much to see me blow up like a balloon and scare you shitless like I did on our second date," Stanford countered. "But you're the master. Oof! Mmm…"

There was nothing better than shutting Stanford up with a kiss. Vert had an idea that Stanford knew this, which was all the more reason for the redhead to say the obvious and for him to play along. He pulled away, kissing that forehead gently and squeezing their hands together between them. "I love you too much to see you blown up like a balloon and scare me shitless like you did on our second date." Stanford made a face, one that smiled a bit in the next moment when he took into account that Vert had repeated what he said. They hadn't quite voiced the words, but hearing them was much better than saying them inwardly and hoping that the other felt the same. "I also love you too much for you to be kitty kibble, although I know you can handle yourself just fine."

"You're damn right I can…but Vert…"

"I'll be careful."

"You'd better be, Vert Wheeler…otherwise you'll have ME to answer to."

Stanford could be a scary person when angered. Vert decided it was best not to invoke that beast and vowed to be a little more careful than he usually was. If he was lucky, Hatch would screw things up long before he had a chance to engage the enemy in battle.

Vert hopped into his vehicle, revving it up quickly. He didn't miss the parting kiss Sherman got from AJ, or the slight crick AJ had in his neck when he watched Sherman go. He was staying behind as well, though it was only for the sake of having backup rather than the five car rule. Still, that didn't make him feel any better seeing his long time friend rubbing his neck like that. It was a sign of his nervousness, and a sign that he needed to be really careful this time.

Not thinking about it a moment longer, he drove up the ramp and out into the salt flats with Splitwire, Tangler, Buster, and Chopper behind him. Sage was at the controls with Stanford aside her and AJ sitting by the Gear Slammer in case he was needed.

Vert swallowed the nervous flutter in his stomach. Something was wrong.

"Hey Tezz," Agura called over the com, "Are we still on for tonight?"

Tezz shifted gears, settling more comfortably into his seat as he let the car push itself to the proper speeds. "If you're referring to your insane attempt at getting me to learn that infernal game, I could say we are indeed on for the coming night," he answered. "However, I do not understand your masochism when it comes to trying to teach me how to play twister, when I am, in fact, more flexible than you, and I was twister champion at the age of seven."

"Ooh, was that a challenge I heard?" Spinner remarked. "Agura, you gonna take that from your man?"

"We'll see who's more flexible than who," Agura smirked. "Loser has to treat the other to dinner."

Tezz smirked to himself. "And how is that losing?"

"Storm shock dead ahead guys!" Vert called out. "Everyone brace yourselves!"

"Dude, relax," Zoom chuckled. "It's just another storm shock. It's not like we're heading into a black hole."

No, but he might have wished it in the coming moments.

"Does…anyone else have this sinking feeling?" Agura asked. "Or…is it just me?"

"I don't believe it is just you," Tezz offered. "I suggest we do as Vert instructed and brace ourselves…"

They rode into the storm like they usually did with ease, but seconds into their descent they realized that Vert wasn't being over cautious.

"Oh…oh holy fuck," Zoom spat, "It's a TRAP!"

They couldn't have known that they were driving into a dangerous situation like the one they encountered the moment they'd leapt through the storm shock. Vert never gasped. Spinner did that for them all, screaming at the top of his lungs a loud "WHAT THE HELL?" before all hell broke loose.

The Vandals had been waiting on them.

They had **opened** the storm shock.

It was a heart stopping realization that had them fighting harder than they ever had against a horde of waiting animals looking to pounce on the first people that came through. It was them unfortunately, and they weren't prepared for what Kalus had planned.

"Vandals! Attack the subspecies!" Kalus roared. "Take them down once and for all!"

"Battle Force FIVE, I want fur coats on the floor!" Vert spat. "We're not going down without a fight!"

Oh, they put up the good fight. They managed to take out about half of their forces before they were overwhelmed by the regrouping numbers. The Chopper went down first, Zoom leaping off of his bike to smash several muzzles in before he was dog piled and brought to his knees. Spinner and Sherman were on the mission to rescue him but Grimian and his strange tech came out of nowhere, slamming them into the wayward side of a tree and messing up the drive Sherman needed to get them moving again. They ran out of ammo moments later.

Tangler was doing fine on her own for a while. Agura had them at their knees but she couldn't have foreseen their well lain trap from above. Before she knew it her car was missing two wheels and she was being pulled out of her car with a string of curses following her.

Vert knew there wasn't much they could do. He spun his car to the right hard, knocking the Splitwire off its course. "Tezz, RUN!" he'd screamed through the com-link. "Get out of here now!" He had to save one of them. He couldn't turn tail and live with himself knowing that Zoom, Agura, Sherman, and Spinner were being held captive while he escaped. It was feasible, and very much possible if he had tried, but there was little to no time left and he was without options. Tezz had screamed at him, called him every single name he could do in about five seconds before he was driven off by the hordes.

Vert watched him go with relief flooding his senses.

After that…it all went dark.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean they were captured?" came the shrill voice of one very angry and irate Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV. Tezz couldn't help but wince at it, and his own anger bubbling from beneath his impassive face. "What the hell happened?"<p>

Tezz wasn't sure of what happened. He could only surmise after getting away and punching his dashboard in several times hard enough to bruise his knuckles. His car was nowhere near as damaged as he thought, though his ego and his pride were tarnished. He tried to recall it all, everything that he could remember seeing, doing, and when it was all puzzled together, he swore he was going to have Lobster for supper tonight.

"We were ambushed," he said in clipped cold, and angry tones unlike the self that people had come to know. It scared him a little to hear himself, but he was too angry to think about toning it or anything else down. "I believe that Hatch may have stumbled upon another piece of Sentient Tech that allowed him to open a storm shock. I don't think they realized that they opened a portal to earth just yet…not that they will by the time I'm done."

"Tezz, what in blazes do you expect to do on your own against that many Vandals?"

Tezz didn't hesitate to answer what was on his mind then and there. "…if I'm lucky…kill about fifty of them and maim the rest," he muttered darkly. "If you've forgotten, I was a one man army against thousands of Sark for many years…"

Being the rebel he once was on his own for so long had become monotonous but vital for his survival. He'd become very good at what he did on his own, and while he had come a long way from being that loner, he did not forget just how one man could overcome the masses. He had people to save…and seeing Agura being carried off like that did something to his brain that was not pleasant. His chest hurt, and he almost slammed his fist into the console of his car again.

"Tezz, at least wait for AJ to back you up!"

His chances were not the best. They both knew this. However, there was something more important to protect. "And risk you coming along? No," Tezz snapped. He could not risk that. Vert would lose was little sanity he had left worrying about the welfare of a man he'd grown to love. Tezz was already at that point, growling low as he fought off the possibilities of what those Vandals would do to a girl like Agura. "Vert would kill me and then you for even thinking about stepping foot on this planet, and you forget there are already five vehicles in this Zone. Unless one is destroyed, no other may pass into it, remember?"

He felt rather than heard Stanford's fist hitting the console with a muttered curse leaving his lips. AJ was behind him, breathing hard and heavy and angrier than he'd been in the mall when Sherman was attacked. Surely had the bigger man been here there would have been sure hell to pay, but this was not the case. What reality was at the moment was unfair, and it was about to be messy in the coming moments as the Electromagnetic master quickly conjured up a series of plans that would leave those animals thinking twice about messing with his team.

"I will bring them back," Tezz promised. "Keep the line open…"

"What if—"

"I WILL not FAIL."

He would not. He closed the video feed, bracing his hands on the wheels as he revved up his vehicle. He could almost hear Agura screaming for him.

It was enough to have him slam his foot on the gas and take him in the direction of the Vandal Camp.

* * *

><p>Agura sat on the bottom of the cage, knees pressed to her chest as she stared out at the celebration of the Vandal Camp. The Animals that called themselves warriors of the Jungle were eating and drinking merry, laughing it up over their sure victory over their team. The music and the roars of triumph were deafening at times, and the smell of blood and musk was unbearable after sitting around it for more than an hour. It reminded her of the hunts back in Africa, though there was nothing pleasing about being in a cage and held hostage. There was no sport and no fairness in being an easy target, and there was no honor in tormenting a captive when they were on their knees.<p>

However, she was grateful that the Vandal's version of torment was to throw rotten fruit at the cages. She wiped her face clean of the latest unidentifiable fruit that splattered into her prison and continued to sit, steaming, unable to think of a way of getting free and getting to her vehicle. She was too worried about Tezz, and what had become of him after Vert drove him off. A couple of Vandals had chased after him while the rest remained and dragged them back to their camp. While she knew he was capable of taking of himself, she couldn't help but hope he'd gotten back to base safely.

Zoom rattling the bars of her cage broke her from her worry. "What?"

He didn't speak. Rather he pointed at another cage where Sherman was standing, being egged on by none other than Grimian pacing the outside of it with his boastful laughter. Sherman kept his cool for the most part, ignoring the Ape and his goading.

Until he reached into the Cage and tried to grab him.

"Oh, you've just about guaranteed an Ass-whooping!" Spinner snarled from where he was watching. "You touch him, and I promise you—"

"Promise me What?" Grimian snarled. "You're in no position to be threatening me! Look at you, locked up and screaming at me as if it would scare me. You're all weak…including your leader holding his head like the baby he is! A little blood in one's eye never killed anyone…but gotten them killed, is another story."

Vert barely heard the words. It was all he could do to sit up straight let alone stay away from the blackened state of unconsciousness he'd forced himself out of not moments before. His head was heavy and light, throbbing with the gash to his temple he'd gotten when one of those Vandals had struck him. His gloved hand was two tones of red, though the streaming darker rivulets of red dripping into the dry grounds were the ones he were concerned about. He blinked once, twice…and again just to keep himself up, unable to move away when Grimian marched over to his cage and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I've always wondered what a subspecies would look like as they're being torn to bits," he murmured. "I'm hoping Kalus decides to feed you to the horde…"

"And I'm hoping you start to smell better," Vert muttered weakly, "But we don't always get what we want."

It would have been so easy to toss him. Vert felt the motions of it, wincing and bracing himself as best he could for the inevitable knock against the hard wood of the cage. Instead he moaned quietly as he was dropped back down, listening to the protesting grunts of a Mad Ape being pulled back by his collar by the one and only Kalus. He was promptly tossed several feet, landing on his stomach rather than on his feet.

Neither animal noticed Vert removing his blood soaked hand to reveal the gash over his eye and what he held in that hand then.

"Fool!" Kalus snarled. "I've told you time and time again never to underestimate the subspecies!"

"They are without their vehicles and locked up like the lesser beings that they are!" Grimian shouted. "What good is it to simply have them locked up when we could be watching them scream for mercy at the jaws of the horde!"

"And this is why **you** are not leader," the tiger spat. "You're so quick to dispose of them when they could easily grant us the knowledge we seek to defeat the Red Sentients and conquer earth! Think for a moment you idiotic baboon. We have four out of their puny army, a spell that has possibly opened a gateway to earth, and most of all, them at OUR mercy! What crew they have left isn't stupid enough to come barging into our territory without being heavily armed!"

There was a loud resounding crack of static somewhere at the boundaries of the camp. A sharkian went flying overhead, landing into a table of food that splattered in every direction possible. It was the beginning of a light show, one they hadn't seen before. Not even hatch's shenanigans could compare to the reigning blue light that crackled and popped with every passing second, the roar of a familiar engine the source of that light and the cause of yet another dozen Vandals flying into the air as if they were always meant to.

One landed awkwardly at Kalus' feet, his arm snapping painfully loud and eliciting a loud scream from the reptile. He quickly put an end to that, slamming his fist into that jaw and working it shut as he refocused himself on the frontlines of this waking disaster. Streams of blue light were grabbing Vandals left and right, tossing them in every direction possible without a hint of mercy. It was ruthless and cruel, burning those who tried to oppose its strange force, and admirable the longer the tiger stared at in his fascinated horror.

"Vandals, stop that damn vehicle now!"

Anyone who'd been stunned into stupor moved with quickness at the commanding voice of Kalus. The vehicle that had come roaring into their camp without the slightest inhibition for its welfare or the safety of its driver met them head on, jerking hard to the right and running more than a couple of those Vandals over. Something launched itself from the depths of its hull into the waiting area where Vandals were racing for their kept vehicles.

There was nothing left moments later, the fires of that massive explosion wiping all but a few of their vehicles out.

They heard something else crack, and Kalus had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing Vert Wheeler—blood upon his tan face and rage in his usually fiery eyes—holding up one of the knives that Grimian carried on his person. The Ape grabbed at the empty holster, snarling at the human as he kicked open his cage. The wiry one they called Zoom didn't need knives. He simply kicked his way through the wooden bars, snapping them in half with ease.

"My crew isn't STUPID, Kalus," Vert spat. "Nor are we foolish! But pissed…now that I can say we are rightfully."

"You fool…you're still outnumbered and injured beyond fighting properly," Kalus sneered. "Your vehicles are nowhere near you and you expect to claim victory? Think again…"

"Oh, I don't have to think about this…in fact, I know that man in that car isn't thinking about this!" Vert threw his hand with the knife in it in the direction of the Spiltwire going to town on the Vandals. "That, you dumb feline, is a mad man; a SMART mad man who does not give a flying fuck about how or when."

"What nonsense are you babbling?"

"He's not babbling, Kalus," Spinner exclaimed. "He's warning you. That, you messed up sack of fur, is A RUSSIAN. In our world, Russians are the second most dangerous species ever…especially when you TAKE their GIRLFRIENDS."

Agura rested smugly against her cage, enjoying the dawn of realization in that overgrown cat's eyes. Surely he knew of what some species could and would do to get their mates back. "What can I say?" she said. "I like my boys dangerous."

Dangerous was an understatement. Kalus had to duck under a well aimed charge of light, skidding a good distance from that unsettling crackle that lifted the Ape from his spot and slammed him back into the floor. The owner of that light stepped forward, a grimace set in his eyes and an unsettling look of contempt on his face. Never in his time of knowing these subspecies had he ever seen any one of them with such rage in their steps. His Vandals didn't even think to approach him or the sparking glove that threw anyone in his way to the side without a care about where they may or may not land.

Still, he was their leader, and he was not about to go down without a fight because of a bit of sorcery.

"I would think twice about what you're going to do," Tezz spat. The large cat stopped, albeit briefly. "Today is not a good day to be covered in FUR."

"Everyone has their limits, subspecies," Kalus spat. "If you think your little magic trick is going to take down the likes of me, you are sadly mistaken."

The larger of them pounced. Tezz thrust his hands out, the gloves on his hands crackling to life with no more than a twist of his wrist.

The others watched in mortified and fascinated horror as Kalus got the full amped version of ten thousand volts of electricity, lighting him up like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. He tossed the big cat to the side just as Agura's yelp broke his concentration and had him spinning to find her in the grip of one very irate ape.

Tez had never believed in the theory of seeing red. There was no proof that it was anything more than a saying in reference to the way bulls came rushing at the color they were taunted with in a sport that was barbaric as it was outdated. The logic part of himself could decipher the elements of a saying and what would cause such a phenomenon, which would lead him to finding another way to go about taking out the ape.

However, the theory of seeing red came to life then and there…and he was moving before he could assess that he was past the point of being insane with anger.

_"End simulation."_

* * *

><p>Everything powered itself down.<p>

Panting slightly, Tezz slowly slipped the visor off of his sweat slickened face.

The others were standing around him, staring at him. He was never good at reading the faces of others or gauging their reactions. Swallowing what air he could muster, he dropped the visor on the floor, a wave of nausea hitting him harder than he would have liked. He sat up and wished he hadn't, his muscles protesting the use of them so soon after driving them to the brink of their limits and past all that.

"Take it easy Tezz," Vert said kneeling down to steady him. "Just breathe…all right?"

He didn't nod. He looked at Vert, at the others, and then at the back of his eyelids when he put his head into the bucket that was shoved under his face as it all came up in one violent throw.

Soft hands slicked back his locks of black. He leaned into those cool hands, glad they were on him and not on the bars of a prison that should have never been. Agura stayed close, rubbing his back as he breathed harshly, unable to quell the shivers that riddled his body with random quakes.

"I didn't think he'd have such a violent reaction to the simulation machine," Sage admitted. "I suppose it's a good thing that we saw this so I can adjust it for the next round."

"I don't think it's the machine," Vert said. "I think…it's more of realizing what he would do in that situation. Isn't it, Tez?"

The Russian did nod then. He leaned back in his chair, grateful for the cool towel that wiped his face down. He wanted to close his eyes, sleep, get away from the mechanics of his brain still working in overdrive to come up with ways to skin a cat in the most painful way possible, but that would have to wait. The simulations needed to be reviewed, mistakes noted, and run once more before he was done. It was usually how it was done with the others, so he expected no less than that for himself.

Sage, on the other hand, seemed to have other ideas. "I've determined that this simulation is complete," she announced. "As far as I'm concerned, we've seen the one element that is noted quite often when it comes to Vert's simulations."

"We have?" Zoom asked. "What's that?"

"That Tez is fucking dangerous when he's pushed to his limits," Spinner exclaimed. "Kind of like when A.J. gets all ape when someone's in Sherman's business."

"Ooh, I want to see that tape again!"

"Maybe later," Vert chuckled. "I think Tez here has earned a spot on the lethal wall…"

"Yeah dude, right up there with Stanford." Zoom shivered and looked back at the red head staring at nothing in particular. He might have looked fine and uninterested, but the slight tick in his cheek said otherwise. He was still annoyed over the simulation, more than a bit disturbed at his own results. His initial reaction was to leap out of the seat when it was over and make sure none of it happened. Zoom hadn't ever seen Stanford so thorough with checking anyone over aside himself. He also hadn't seen just how good of a marksman the redhead was until a few moments ago. "Remind me not to piss him off…"

"Well….The Russians were dangerous for a reason," Spinner said, "and the outcome of some fights were not pleasant. I don't think Kalus will realize what hit him until we're long gone…"

No. Probably not. Tez said as much as settled down to rest his nerves and the frazzled sense of overwhelming relief that all that had not truly happened. Sentient technology was still amazing within its own right; however, he would prefer not to face such realities anytime soon.

"For what it's worth," Agura said softly as she kissed the top of his head, "You're something else Tez…and you can save me anytime you want."

"…as long as you don't want a fur coat out of it, I will do my best."

She giggled and hugged him, ignoring the ick in the bucket that Spinner was having a hard time ignoring. "Oh god, it has to be love if she can ignore that," he muttered.

"You'll know it before you realize it bro," Sherman laughed. "But…how about I get rid of that for you before you blow chunks yourself?"

"And that is why he's the coolest brother ever. Anyone up for Za? Aaaaahhhggghh!"

Tez was not up for it. He was not up for it or any type of food and he made that clearer with another upheaval of his stomach all over Spinner's boots.

* * *

><p>Sorry Spinner!<p>

Next chapter please! XD


	8. Eighth Lap

**AN:**

Two things!

Spinner is going to be hit on by an OC I came up with after it was suggested to me that he get together with...Simon.

**Spinner:** Say wha now?

SHUSH! It'll work itself out.

Also, the end...is really SAPTASTIC. So...Kleenex people...no one dies, but your heart may melt into a puddle on your shoes because of the sap content.

That's it! READ NOW!

* * *

><p><strong>Lap 8:<strong>

_Shotgun_

_a.k.a._

_Don't run when I ask you this…_

* * *

><p>"Whoa…what happened to you?" Grace asked. "You all look like you've been run over by your own cars."<p>

The gang of them kept trudging through the door, either worn out or looking like they had taken the test of their lives and barely passed. All of them managed to fit into their usual booth, some blearily raising their hands in greeting and the rest plopping their heads or torsos on the table without much protest to the hard surface. Grace was sure if Spinner had the chance, he would be snoring on that table. Luckily Sherman managed to prop him back up before he could do just that.

Grace gave them the once over. They needed some serious coffee, and not just the usual stuff that had Sheriff Johnson perked up in the mornings when he stopped by. No, they needed something much stronger, and she wasn't above asking Zeke to make it, though it would be murder on their systems later on.

"Zeke! Make a pot of your _special_ coffee!" she called. "I need enough for your regulars!"

Zeke peeked from behind his grill. "Oh my…better make it two pots," he mumbled running back in. "Musta had a tough run…"

Two pots? Grace mentally reminded herself that she was going to need to soak those pots for a good hour afterward. Until then, she turned back to the others as she slid from around the counter to tend to them. "So, what's up? Did your jobs make you run extra laps or something?" she asked. "Seriously, you all look like utter shit."

Vert propped his head back up from where it had been leaning against Stanford's on the table. "Something like that…" If you counted being nearly blown to bits twice, working with the enemy, and still losing the prize a tough run. His hands were sliding from underneath him. He gave in, dropping forward in time to land in the groove of Stanford's space, practically nose to nose with the exhausted Brit. He opened one bleary eye.

Stanford was half gone.

"Babe…wake up."

"I am, **awake**…I just don't want to open my eyes for a little while."

Vert managed a small smile, inching forward a bit to kiss the corner of that twitching mouth. "I'm no prince, but you have to get up for me," he said softly. "I promise you can sleep in a little while."

"Right…and when I wake from that slumber, it will be with a proper kiss."

It didn't stop Vert from kissing him anyhow, which was fine with the redhead. He sat up, lips moving from Vert's with a soft pop to kiss his cheek before falling to lie on his shoulder. Vert rested his head against Stanford's, tempted to sleep but fighting it valiantly. Stanford's light but firm cling to his shirt was ten times lighter than it had been when they'd gotten back from their latest adventure. It was quite the fright, one that had the Brit seeing red in a whole new light that had nothing to do with his Mohawk.

Kyrtus was certainly misled, but when it came to his own life and destroying the multiverse, he was like a scared kitten that'd climbed way too high. Working with him was not pleasant, saving him was even less. Still, there was always that god awful chance that they wouldn't have made it out of there, and that his days of riding would come to an abrupt end because of some left over dimension named the Shadow Zone.

He'd already been in there twice. Zoom, while he hadn't been on this mission, had given him a sympathetic look. The Shadow Zone was no joke.

After everything had settled down to a tolerable level and the adrenaline had left them, Stanford had hopped out of his car and belted for Vert's. Vert had just gotten out, still unbelieving of what just happened when Stanford tackled him and planted the two of them into the side of his car. Vert didn't quite know what to make of it all, until he'd felt the hot stinging tears dripping into the collar of his suit. He'd wrapped his arms around Stanford to ease him, but it didn't seem like enough. How could it? He'd been forced to work with a being that would slice him in half if he so wished it, and barely managed to get out without being blown to bits! He'd hugged the Brit closer, unable to stop himself from shaking at the thought of how close death had actually been.

It gave him a moment to think about the future, and how much more careful he was going to be when diving into these situations. Krytus was a manipulative maniacal bastard at heart and nothing would change him.

It also gave him pause to think about Stanford, and just what he meant to the Brit, and what the Brit meant to him. While it hadn't been quite that long since they started dating, trying to picture himself apart from Stanford brought an ache to his stomach that made Vandal food seem appealing. His chest was no better; tight and constricting as if he'd gone and ate a tub of cholesterol and expected to live. Just thinking about it made his head hurt and made sleep all the more appealing.

Thankfully Grace put those pots in front of them. The smell alone had his eyes watering and his body a little more awake than it had been.

Tezz, usually the last to do anything, was the first to grab his cup. While the whole bloodshot eye thing wasn't new on him, it was unusually bad this morning. "I thank whatever deities decided to let this man make this brew," he muttered around the rim of is cup. "Otherwise, I hate to think what I might do in my car in about a half hour."

"You? Pfft, I'm lucky this one here is used to late shifts," Spinner said. He smacked Sherman playfully. "Otherwise we wouldn't have a car."

"Can we get back to the garage before we even think about crashing cars?" Agura asked. She yawned loudly, he own cup in hand as she leaned against Tezz. "I'm ready for a long nap."

"I think you're all ready for a nap," Grace chuckled. "I'm sure the garage will let you off for a day if you look this bad."

Maybe. Then again evil never slept. "We'll see," Vert muttered. For now, he drank his cup of coffee gratefully and thought about a developing plan in the back of his mind.

By the time they had properly ingested that coffee with some complimentary muffins, Vert had decided it was time to drag their butts back to the garage. Their beds were waiting for them to get in them, and he wasn't sure of how long Zeke's coffee would keep them up. With a little prodding from his insistent hands, he managed to get everyone up and out of the dinner in a somewhat dignified manner. The one to trail them was Spinner, and that was only because he'd dozed off despite being prodded awake several times by Sherman. The smaller Cortez brother yawned loudly as he walked out of the door, ignoring the giggles coming from Grace watching them leave.

"Zoom, we're still going to the movies this weekend right?"

Zoom spun around, darting to the side of Spinner's half sleep walk. "For Sure, providing my job doesn't get in the way. I'll text you tonight, okay?"

"Make sure you do!"

The Muai Tai fighter couldn't quite keep the grin of off his face when Grace winked his way. While they weren't officially dating by their understanding, it was looking more and more like it was headed in that direction the longer they hung out together. While it would have been nice to just flat out ask her out and put an end to the "just friends" phase of their relationship, the girl was pretty cool…and he had his reservations about getting involved with someone who didn't quite know about the actual logistics of his job.

It was something to think about on another day. He stepped out of the dinner into the midday sun, expecting the others to be in their rides already waiting on him. Instead he caught them staring at something in the distance, closing in on their general location with a stream of dust trailing behind whatever it was headed for them. He joined their ranks, trying to make heads or tails of what it was.

"We got a newcomer?" he asked.

Vert shrugged. He didn't know and he was too tired to deal with anything wayward this morning. "I'm not sure if I want to know," he admitted. "Whatever it is, it looks fast."

"That's because it is," Agura said. "I think we're looking at…an actual replica of the Camero in Transfomers…"

That car was coming in on the road at speeds that would have had Sheriff Johnson giving himself a heart attack. Vert was mildly impressed, but too tired to really think about who it could be or why they decided that this diner was as good a spot as any to show up. Stanford yawned, letting out the breath he'd been holding with good reason. The last time anything fast had come zooming through here, it had been an unexpected, unwelcome, and most undesired visit from what had to be the most annoying person on the planet.

"At least it's not Simon," Agura muttered aloud. "I don't think I can take two Rhodes today."

Stanford refrained from saying what came to mind. "Yeah, well…as much fun as it would be to harp about my brother, I think the bed is worth more than drudging up that unpleasant subject. Can we go?"

"Aw, can't we wait a moment?" Spinner asked. "I wanna see who's driving that sweet thing…"

Whether anyone would have said yes or no, the car that had their attention came swerving into the parking lot. It shot past them and their rides, parking at the very edge of the lot to come to a perfect dime stop. The doors, Lamborghini style in every way imaginable, opened themselves without anyone to help them, allowing anyone who was remotely interested to peer into the depths of it.

A slight mutter came before the body. Out came the hand, gloved and reeking of possible money, alongside a phone that looked an awful lot like Stanford's model. The thumb on it was rapidly screening through something, abruptly giving up the moment there was a melodic notice of his getting a message.

"That's it…I'm so changing my number when I get back…"

He stepped out of his vehicle, violet eyes trained on the phone for a moment more. He had the grace of a cat, slipping from his seat and out into the open, absently closing the doors and turning to lean against the yellow mount of gorgeousness. He sighed, pulling his hood back, revealing a short crop of black spikes that looked about as soft as Spinner's. Gelled or not, he rubbed the side of his head in disgust, sliding his foot to cross the other with only his back to support him on the yellow metal.

"Dude, that ride is wicked," Spinner breathed.

It obviously wasn't meant to be heard aloud, but the stranger had heard it and whipped his head to see who said it. He saw Spinner practically drooling, and then noticed the rest of the team staring at their member in amusement or embarrassment. "What was that about my ride?" he asked. "You said it was wicked?"

"Well, chyeah dude," Spinner snorted. "It's just about the coolest thing you'd see around these parts."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Dude, what do I have to lie about?"

The stranger twisted the side of his mouth. His strange half smile seemed to flow with his hand, gesturing to the other cars sitting in the lot waiting on their owners. Oh. Their cars. "I dunno, bruh," he said grinning a bit. "Looks like those are pretty wicked rides in their own right."

Spinner gave him a sheepish grin in response. They'd been with their rides for so long he tended to forget that others were awed by them now and again. "Um…right. I tend to forget that little fact sometimes."

"I don't see how. You've got some pretty sweet rides here." He motioned to the Gear Slammer and the Buster, more than amazed at the size at design of the two biggest vehicles there. "Looks like they've been designed for combat almost," he mused lightly. "The way the world is today, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"So, what's up with the Bee inspired ride?" Zoom asked. "It's totally ripped…I thought it might get up for a minute."

"Oh? This? Well, it's a replica I built with a few modifications in the blue prints," he explained. "It doesn't quite turn into a robot, but it does run pretty fast…amongst other things. I could show you."

"Thanks, but we all have a date with the bed," Vert said. He stifled another yawn, barely managing to keep it in and keep Stanford from dozing where he stood. "We've…had a long day."

The stranger smiled in understanding. "Yeah. I can tell. I had one of those a few days ago." His phone chirped again, and this time he scowled at the thing. "I might have one today. You guys live around here or in the city?"

"We stay at the race course a couple of miles into the flats. I run a garage and keep a track for anyone who wants to practice their driving. Today, however, I'm closed…but if you want to visit I don't see why you can't tomorrow."

"Tomorrow sounds good. Oh, my name is Nick by the way. Nick Rivera."

"I'm Vert Wheeler. The ones around me are Agura, Tezz, A.J., Sherman, Spinner, and Zoom. This one trying not to drool on my shoulder is Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV." Stanford absently waved, no longer caring who or what was around him. He just wanted to get home and close his eyes and pretend that he didn't have to get up again for a year. "Like I said, he's tired."

"Rhodes? He wouldn't happen to be related to someone named Simon, would he?"

"Unfortunately yes, I would…" Stanford muttered. "Has he done something else he deems worthy of bragging about, or is he planning another unscheduled visit with the intentions of trying to show me up again?"

His reaction had the unintended effect of making Nick laugh quite a bit. He shook his head just as much, unable to keep the smile that stretched his lips to reveal perfect teeth sitting in that mouth. "He's not doing much of anything at the moment," he explained when he finally stopped laughing. "I'm surprised you weren't contacted."

"What do you mean he's not doing much of anything? He's never still!"

"Yeah? Well that last stunt he pulled has him in a leg cast…and out of the racing circuit for about two months. Seriously, that jerk didn't tell you?"

Stanford couldn't say yes or no. The way they've been fighting as of late, they barely had time to keep up with their family and friends. It was just enough to keep up with the others, and he lived with them. "We…don't keep contact like we should," he allowed. "Besides, he's older than me. I bet he thought I would laugh or something."

"We all laughed," Nick chuckled. "And that was only because the fool had it coming. Trying to impress some chick on the slopes…things like that has taken out worse idiots."

Spinner snorted a bit, not surprised at the outcome. "What? You've never done something nuts to impress some chick?"

"No. I don't see the point," Nick offered. "I can't allow myself to do something that absurd for a girl that would probably hop to the next hottie within moments. Now...if it were a cute looking guy…I might be inclined." He leaned forward a bit, gloved fingers gently but playfully waggling in front of Spinner's confused but oh so cute face. "Got any stunts you want me to do?"

What Zoom would later dub the gaping fish effect took over Spinners face. His brain seemed to have short circuited then, unwilling to believe that someone, a guy, and a rather good looking guy at that, would even joke around with him. Unintended flirting, perhaps, but it had the nice quality of having Spinner blush horribly and getting Nick to really smile; a smile that seemed to make the Salt Flats hotter in a not so heat draining way.

"Um…I think it's time for that nap. Uh…it was n-nice meeting you, Nick…"

Nick waggled his brows and smirked. "The pleasure was mine."

Spinner turned on his heel and practically ran for the Buster. "Yes…definitely time for that nap…" He was having sleep deprivation induced hallucinations, and there was no way that Nick winked after him. Nope. It just didn't happen.

"Hey, be honest," Agura asked. "Are you messing with him?"

"Ah, I'm afraid that's the one thing I don't do," Nick replied. He winked her way, laughing at the open scowl on Tezz's face. "I'm quite honest about most things, and I don't tread where I'm not wanted. So you can relax, Tezz was it? I'm not into your girl."

"More like you're into Spinner…" Stanford mused.

"Perhaps. He is a cute fellow, but I doubt he'd stand still long enough to think about it. Oh well. So, you said something about a race track?"

* * *

><p><strong>One well earned napsnorefest later:**

He could give himself credit where it was due. He didn't jerk himself awake this time and run without knowing why. He didn't crash into the door trying to get somewhere he didn't need to be. He wasn't being laughed at by his blonde boyfriend trying to figure out why the alarm tended to draw that conditioned response out of him. Stanford was still in the bed, still rubbing his eyes of sleep, and still being held onto by his very heavy, slightly snoring boyfriend who had needed the last seven hours of sleep more than anyone else.

Gently reaching out to snap his phone's chirping off, he briefly checked the screen for any messages. There was one from Grace reminding him about their little shopping excursion this coming weekend. He hadn't forgotten it, and he was sure that Zoom wasn't going to forget it either. For a quick moving youngster, he was sure slow on the uptake to officially being something to Grace other than a cool looking hang out buddy. It was a good thing that he had a thing for blokes, otherwise Zoom would have missed out on a very good thing.

Speaking of blokes, Stanford turned around in his bed the moment those hands tightened themselves around his waist. Vert was yawning, hand over his mouth and one eye tearing from yawning so big, stretching like the canine he tended to resemble on his less refined days. Hair sticking in every which way but in its usual fashion, he ran a tired hand through it and gave Stanford what had to be the silliest but well rested smile he'd seen on Vert's face in quite some time. He couldn't keep himself from kissing that face, or laughing when Vert shoved his face away with a grimace.

"I had Zeke's coffee for crying out loud," he muttered. "I thought you loved me…and now you're trying to commit suicide?"

"Well, a love like ours does have its risks," Stanford chuckled. He moved Vert's hand from where it was trying to keep him at a distance, kissing him despite the backdraft of Zeke's potent coffee. "Besides," he whispered, "You're dealing with a man who had eaten some rancid stuff for the sake of society's ill begotten standards. This is nothing."

"Well if that's not proof…"

"You need more?"

"I wouldn't mind…**_after_**_…_I have toothpaste and mouthwash for dinner. Mmm…what time is it anyhow?"

Stanford glanced at his phone again. "About…six. If we get the others up we might make it in time to grab a bit to eat at the Diner."

"Sounds like a plan. Only…"

"Only what?"

"Only…you have to convince me to get up aside for breath related issues…"

That wasn't a problem.

Within the next twenty minutes, Vert was waltzing out of the room whistling a tune all his own. Stanford was smugly aside him, one arm wrapped around Vert's and his free hand admiring the new hickey on his collarbone. Soon enough everyone was admiring it. It was the first thing that they noticed when they walked into the hub, not that Stanford was wearing anything low enough to show it off. Vert just happened to like that one spot, and was quite the territorial man; one that marked what was his openly shy of pissing on it like a dog would.

Stanford didn't mind it at all, or the smug knowing look Agura was giving him from where she was seated against Tezz.

"Whoa…someone has a new trophy, I see…and quite recent!" she teased. "I'd say…from the last ten minutes?"

"If it were any newer, we'd see it happening," Zoom laughed. "But please, no demonstrations."

"What? And miss out on an educational moment in your life you'd probably never witness ever?" The brit rolled is hands lazily in the air, eyeing the Muy Thai fighter with interest when he visibly paled at the thought of seeing something like that live. That definitely answered the question about boundaries. "Don't worry your spiky head off," he said. "That's completely under wraps…and no demonstrations are required."

"Not that anyone else is going to get one," Vert smirked.

Stanford elbowed Vert in his side. "They'd better not."

"And the bossiness has come full circle," AJ joked. "So when's the wedding since we know who's really in charge?"

Vert rolled his eyes and Stanford snorted, although neither one sought to answer that. Vert unconsciously stuffed his left hand in his pocket, his fingers curling around the item he hadn't quite gotten around to doing something about. He hadn't forgotten, but he hadn't quite had the time or the nerve to really do anything about it. Rather, he gave AJ a sideways glare and got a laugh in return. The Canadian was not without his comments without just reason, which was all the more reason to punch him later.

"Pfft, even if that was a possibility, I'd doubt he'd stay with me after meeting the rents and realizing Simon was going to be his brother in law," Stanford said. He shook his head, idly scratching the bottom of his chin. "Not to mention Aunt Mable…I think I mentioned to you that she cries at everything once."

"Well that would be interesting," Vert mused. "I wonder if she'd cry because of the wedding or because she's getting a cool handsome man that's not like Simon as an in law?"

"I'd cry at that point just because."

"I think everyone would cry for that," Sherman remarked. "Oh, hey, did you find out anything about Simon?"

Stanford shook his head, remembering that the messages on his phone were from anyone and everyone except his brother. Granted he'd only shot him a quick message, but then again his brother's phone was much worse than his own when he was in England. Everyone who could text was sending him a message and anyone who was bored and looking for a cheap DJ was calling. He didn't miss the harassment but so much. "I'll ring him later and see if he answers," Stanford replied. "If that doesn't work, I'll bomb his email account. I can't believe he broke his leg…"

"I can't believe he's not bragging about it on his facebook account," Zoom said.

"You're on his facebook?"

"Everyone got a friend invite after he visited," Agura said. "Personally I only friended him to see just what idiotic things he's been up to. Your brother has issues."

"Of course he has issues…but this is just weird if he's not bragging about it on facebook…"

"We can talk about it at the Diner after DINNER," Vert announced. "I'm hungry, I want to eat before I die of starvation, and for once, I don't want Za. So, everyone who's coming, let's go!"

"T-the Diner?" An unusually quiet Spinner lifted his head from where he'd been sitting in a light daze. His gaming console sat in his hands turned off, nothing more than an ornament for a guy who wasn't sure about what he'd missed in his brain fog. Mention of the diner seemed to wake him up some, more so when the thought of this morning came spinning back. "What about the Diner?"

"We're going there for dinner, rather than suffer through Zoom's attempt to cook anything other than his own food," Agura chuckled. Zoom gave her the finger which was readily tossed back his way with a wink. "Come on Spinner…you might even get to see Nick…"

"W-why would I want to see him?" he asked, already defensive. "It's not like I know him."

"Looks like he wants to know you…"

"Right…so, how about you shush and we go find food and not talk about Nick? Hmm? Sounds good? Great, let's go."

Spinner slid out of his chair and ran for the buster again, Ignoring his flaming cheeks, the laughter of the others, and his brain automatically bringing up this morning with Nick smiling.

It was official. He'd been around too much testosterone.

* * *

><p>"So then, he turns harder than he thought, bounces over a hidden root, and BAM! Snow face-plant. No winnings and no girl…most of all, a nice little cast that we marked up before he was out of the hospital. Someone might have doodled something a little obscene on there…"<p>

"And what would that be?" Stanford asked.

"His worst nightmare…another penis beside's his own."

The Brit snorted around a mouthful of food and tried not to laugh. He wasn't in the mood to choke to death because it was absolutely hysterical that his brother was so self absorbed that anything that wasn't something in relation to himself was considered obscene and unworthy. He had hoped that changed, but that didn't seem to be the case in the story Nick retold for the hell of making conversation entertaining.

They'd gotten to the Diner in a record amount of time. Vert's insistence on driving his Reverb had a lot to do with it, and being that it was evening and Sheriff Johnson was pleasantly content with his evening meal and coffee, he wasn't about to speed after them when they zoomed right by the patrol car with Vert in the lead. Vert wasn't kidding when he said he was starving, and he also wasn't joking about not wanting pizza. He'd gotten an actual honest to god meal which almost frightened Zoom.

Of course in the midst of their waiting, the tall handsome stranger known as Nick had made an appearance. He had on a helmet this time, pulling it off the moment he walked through the doors and looking like he'd had better days. He didn't have to ask if he could sit with them because Stanford had practically dragged him over to their combined tables and sat him down with the instruction for him to spill about Simon and how he broke his leg.

Now, meal eaten and steaming cup of coffee sitting under his nose, Nick idly sipped the warm liquid as the others tried not to choke and laugh as his retelling. He smiled into his cup, eying Spinner sitting adjacent to him with his thumbs going to work on that gaming console he'd been fiddling with for a while now. He hadn't said much, and Nick figured it had a lot to do with that blush on his face that hadn't left since he'd been dragged over here. He'd been teasing earlier, but now he wasn't so sure if it was just teasing anymore.

He glanced at the game in play. "So, you're playing Rise of the Damned?" he questioned.

"Yeah…but I can't seem to figure out how to knock this one Vampire out without him getting back up," Spinner grunted. "It's annoying…"

"I see…Can I?"

Spinner paused his game. Nick's hand was out, gesturing for it. He hesitated slightly before handing it over. "You've played this?"

"Mmm hmm…when I'm not busy. See, when you fight this dude…if you don't stab him in this pattern…he comes back like a bad rash."

Spinner found himself leaning over to see his character stabbing the vampire in question as Nick described. The stake was supposed to hit the runes upon his skin, and then bury itself in his heart! He nearly slapped his forehead in annoyance. It didn't quite reach up that far. He stopped part way, noticing the fine smell of faded cologne and something sweet mingled with the scent of coffee and something chocolate. He looked down at Nick's half eaten chocolate cake, focusing on it rather than the sudden shock of realizing that he'd been sniffing the man.

Nick, on the other hand, slid Spinner's game back into his hands, hiding his smile behind his coffee mug. "You're welcome to the other half. I don't bite."

"No...I-It's fine. Thanks…and thanks for the uh…assistance."

"No problem. We should totally play one another one day," he mentioned. "I have a feeling you're quite the gamer."

"When our job allows," Sherman said. "Sometimes we have plenty of time, and sometimes it's a miracle if we get any sleep. Not that some of us know what that is anymore."

"I must say, I was used to my all nighters prior to my recruitment into my current employer," Tezz mentioned, "but now I truly understand the meaning of sleep deprivation and have a new appreciation for caffeine."

Nick blinked. "Oh? What do you all do?"

"Test drive cars, amongst other things," Vert said. "They work for me, at least until my Dad gets back from vacation…"

If Stanford rubbed the small of Vert's back absently, Nick didn't comment on it. "Must be interesting."

"Interesting is not the word for it," A.J. chuckled. "More like, amusing. What do you do, if you don't mind us asking?"

"Me? I do quite a bit of traveling…racing mostly, finding things to get into." Things like avoiding his phone if he could help it, much like now when it went off for the first time in a solid hour. He reached into his pocket, not amused to see it was the same number he'd been ignoring for the longest. "Although, I might be staying around here for a little while…it really depends on my current job and if I don't murder this person blowing up my phone."

"Why don't you just block the number?" Spinner questioned. "Or change it?"

"Too much of a hassle. Blocking it only brings up withheld calls, and I don't answer withheld calls."

"Annoying friend?"

"More like…person who doesn't understand no."

The phone chirped again, and Nick sneered at it in disgust. He was all for shoving it back into his pocket but Spinner's quick hands plucked it from his fingers and answered it before he could say anything.

"Hello? Who? Nick? Nah buddy…you can't talk to Nick."

There were snickers rising, AJ and Sherman going red quite quickly as they tried desperately not to laugh. Nick couldn't quite decipher what was so funny, but Stanford nudged him in the shoulder and pointed with a whispered, "Just listen. It'll be worth it."

Nick blinked in confusion but listened.

"Why can't you talk to Nick? Because he's busy…busy doing what? Oh, I'm not sure. He could be doing anything…" Spinner rolled his eyes and reached for something in his pocket. "Hm? His what? Oh…I see. Well you still can't talk to him." Whatever he pulled out was quickly turned on, and the sounds of copulation filled their little area much to the amusement and extreme embarrassment of Grace when she passed by with another pot of coffee. She hadn't heard that much moaning since the last time Zeke had tried to enhance his Chili. "Mmm? What's that? I can't….oh fuck…not there…NICK! I am on your phone for fuck's sake, so can you PLEASE wait before you fuck the hell out of me? Hello? Oh…they hung up."

He handed the phone back with Agura wiping her eyes, Sherman breathless, and AJ unable to form words from laughing so much. Vert and Stanford were also quite red in the face, more amused that Spinner had done that so easily. Tezz was too immersed in his cake to really pay much mind to it, and Zoom gave Grace a sheepish look. Grace rolled her eyes and playfully tapped him upside the head. "That is the last time I find sound bites for you," she muttered playfully.

"But it works so well," Spinner smirked. "Thanks Grace."

"From one perv to another."

Nick stared between his silent phone and Spinner going back to his game. "Did you just fake having sex with me?" he asked.

"I bought you like, five days tops," Spinner remarked. "You're welcome."

Nick turned his head and covered his nose. "I didn't think anyone could be that cute…" he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Uh, thanks for the save."

"It's no prob. I figured it'd freak him out more with that rather than rapidly spout off in Spanish that his mother was a coyote who fucked the ugliest bear around and somehow managed to have that face only he could love…or something like that."

"Bi-lingual as well? You're proving to be most interesting…"

"Yeah well…I gotta make up for the height deficiency."

There was nothing wrong with his height, if you were to ask Nick. No one did, but he hummed in response. "You're fine the way you are, and funny, too." Spinner ducked his head a little at this, and Nick thought his nose would bleed right then and there. "So…can I treat you to a slice of pizza one day? Before we have fake sex again?"

And the blush on Spinner's face was back. Nick leaned on his hands, admiring that face that blushed so readily. Yes, he would be staying here for a while.

* * *

><p>"I wanna talk to you…"<p>

Stanford stopped at the soft tug of his fingers, turning to stare at Vert in the evening light. There was nothing to illuminate the way save the dim lights of the Diner's outside lighting arrangements, including that one blinking light that just never quite wanted to go out. Despite this, he could see that something was bothering Vert, enough so that he tugged a little more, enticing the Brit to follow outside of the hearing of the others. It probably wouldn't have mattered. Zoom was loudly praising the other bike in the lot which happened to belong to Nick.

They walked a little distance away, coming around the side where they could hear nothing else but the buzz of that annoying zapper that popped every few moments. The lighting was dimmer and the skies were clearer, enough so that they weren't totally obscured. Stanford, while admittedly the last to be thankful for most things, was indeed grateful for that lighting. Vert's face troubled him, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to look at it like this.

"Vert?"

"Um…yeah…Sorry, I didn't want the others overhearing this," Vert murmured. "It's rather important…"

Stanford fought not to snatch his hand away from the warm one clinging tightly to his. He felt his heart lurch, flashbacks of another place coming to mind. The last time someone had said words similar to those, he had been left staring at the backside of his retreating boyfriend and wondering what kind of world allowed people like that jerk to roam free of one relationship and have another not even an hour later. After sulking for a good hour and wishing that he was old enough to drink down that pain, he'd wandered aimlessly only to find his then ex hooking up with his best mate.

While things like that didn't quite come up in conversations, it was reason enough to have a scar or two that made it damn near impossible to stand still and look into those eyes wavering in the darkness. It was the reason he hadn't approached Vert in the first place, and why he might have stayed pining from afar had Vert not taken that first step. It was the reason he tended to curse himself for getting wrapped up in this little bubble of bliss before he could stop it, and why he wondered people like him who were hopeless romantics at heart usually found their hearts broken somewhere in the middle of their bliss induced waltz through life.

It took everything in him to keep his hand were it was and stay silent when Vert slipped his free hand into his left pocket.

"My family has this thing…" Vert explained softly, "…when a child is about eight or nine, their parents give them something special on Valentine's Day. My…dad wasn't into it, but my mother did hand me something special…"

"Y-your mom?"

"Yeah. I don't talk about her much…because I keep thinking she might show up any moment. It's a hope that hurts…but a sweet hope…and one that makes this easier to do."

The same hand he held Vert let go of, only to grasp it again and slip something warm onto Stanford's left ring finger. He grabbed that christened hand before the redhead could see it, tugging it and him closer than they had been a moment ago. "She gave me this ring…and said to me…that I was to give it to the one person I can't see leaving my sight for more than a day…the one person who makes my heart ache sweetly…the one person I see with me despite their faults….and the one person who makes me want to be a better man." He could swear to hearing his mom's voice echo in his ears as he said these words, remembering every single moment he'd hugged his mother after she'd given him that ring. He hadn't let go of it, or what it meant, or her gentle smile when she teased him that he'd fall hard for a redhead like herself.

She wasn't far off the mark.

"I'm not…asking you to…marry me, exactly," he said before Stanford could and would possibly freak out on him. The Brit did neither, but the look on his face was quickly crossing into a dangerous territory that would flood the desert if left unchecked. As such, he wiped the first tear before it could fall, leaving his hand over that warm cheek pressing into it. "But I am asking you to think about it…to allow me to promise to come home…to you…when this war is over."

"Vert…"

"After today, it's not going to be pretty at all. I don't think that, I know that…and while I would like for nothing more than to march in there and kick Krytus' ass from here to the moon, it's not possible right now. However…what is possible is making sure I have an anchor to bring me back every time…no matter what I may do, say, or what may be…I don't…like…no, I hate thinking about not being here with you…" He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, hating that small things like that could choke him up so readily. It wouldn't do for him to start sobbing as well. Stanford was already doing a good job of it now. "I know we've only been together for a couple of months…and maybe…it might not amount to anything…but I'm serious enough to give you this ring…as a promise…to do what I can to come back home. I love you."

He was sure his face was quite the sight. Stanford wiped what tears he could from his face, sniffling loudly in between his bouts of sobbing. "That has to be the most sap drenched thing I've ever heard!" he bawled, "And I c-can't…stop…c-crying…because you…you…"

"Stanford…you don't—"

"You idiot! Of course I do! I bloody love you…and you have to bleeding well love me a hell of a lot for you to even consider having Simon for an in-law!"

That horrible ache he'd felt building in his stomach was swept away with a burning joy that frightened him to no ends. He wiped at his face, unable to keep it together a moment longer when Vert wrapped his arms around him and held him close. Anyone with a modern brain would have told him he was rushing into this; that this was nothing more than the results of war bonding those for a common cause and that it would wear itself off after all was said and done. Even Vert had said it. Stanford didn't believe it. He wouldn't. He kept a firm hold of Vert and promised to whoever was listening that he'd keep the one thing that managed to keep him sane through this despite his own overbearing personality. He was a spoiled rich brat and was the first to admit it, and it took a special kind of person to accept that and still want to have his brother as a possible in-law.

"Aw hell," Stanford muttered against Vert's shoulder, "Look at me blubbering. Aunt Mable would have flooded the parking lot by now, but it'd be worth the tears to see Simon try to outrun that flood with his leg."

Vert couldn't help it. He laughed and kissed Stanford's tear soaked lips, the glint of that plain gold band the brightest thing in their little world.

* * *

><p><strong><em>*dabs her eyes* It's not a proposal, but it sure is close to it.<em>**

**_Okay, to explain something, these chapters take place over the course of several months, so it's not out of the blue premature, alright? Fillers and flashbacks come LATER! :D_**

Reviews are awesome.


End file.
